


Western Lovers: Cowboys and Archaeologists

by sassywitch (itsacapitalday)



Series: Western Lovers [1]
Category: Lord of the Rings RPF
Genre: F/M, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2009-09-22
Updated: 2011-05-17
Packaged: 2017-10-21 22:43:04
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 36
Words: 161,307
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/230668
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/itsacapitalday/pseuds/sassywitch
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Billy is a man to be reckoned with. Can Dom heal his wounded soul and his own into the bargain. Could Billy make him forget the bitter lessons of the past?</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> As many of you know, Western Lovers is my own particular labour of love, even though in the past it was ostensibly finished, there was always something missing for you the reader. I wanted to remedy that for you. The story is basically the same story, but it has so much more now. At the end of this series of postings you will all know all of the Western Lovers family and all of their pasts and secrets. On behalf of all of them and me, I hope you enjoy their story as much as they do.

_**FIC REPOST: Western Lovers: Cowboys & Archaeologists (1/44) (New Chapter)**_  
  
[](http://s265.photobucket.com/albums/ii203/sassypro365/?action=view&current=banforsas.jpg)  
 **Title:** Western Lovers: Cowboys and Archaeologists  
 **Author:**[](http://sassywitch.livejournal.com/profile)[ **sassywitch**](http://sassywitch.livejournal.com/)  
 **Beta** by the talented [](http://alassenya.livejournal.com/profile)[**alassenya**](http://alassenya.livejournal.com/)  
 **Pairing:** BB/DM  
 **Rating:** NC-17 for the series.  
 **Summary:** Billy is a man to be reckoned with. Can Dom heal his wounded soul and his own into the bargain. Could Billy make him forget the bitter lessons of the past?  
 **Feedback:** Feedback is my writers crack, which is not to be confused at all with plumbers crack.  
 **Acknowledgements:** There are so many people that have helped in the creation of the Double L and it’s families. Thank you to [](http://alassenya.livejournal.com/profile)[**alassenya**](http://alassenya.livejournal.com/) for everything, and I mean everything, [](http://hisniblets.livejournal.com/profile)[**hisniblets**](http://hisniblets.livejournal.com/) for the dialect help, thanks for [](http://billyhasmyheart.livejournal.com/profile)[**billyhasmyheart**](http://billyhasmyheart.livejournal.com/) for all the research assistance particularly with the bike specs and to [](http://glasgowhobbit.livejournal.com/profile)[**glasgowhobbit**](http://glasgowhobbit.livejournal.com/) for the recipe help. [](http://celtprincess13.livejournal.com/profile)[**celtprincess13**](http://celtprincess13.livejournal.com/) brings you better grammar and punctuation than I ever could. Thank you all, The Double L wouldn’t be the same without any of you.  
 **Disclaimer:** Not at all true in reality. These men whilst adorable and perfectly happy to slash themselves, their actual relationship is something that they only know. This story is adapted from a series of books that I adored when I was younger written by Elizabeth Lowell.  
 **Word Count:** 1111  
 **Previous Posting:**  
 **Posted to:** [](http://fellowshippers.livejournal.com/profile)[**fellowshippers**](http://fellowshippers.livejournal.com/) , [](http://monaboyd.livejournal.com/profile)[**monaboyd**](http://monaboyd.livejournal.com/) and [](http://sassyfic.livejournal.com/profile)[**sassyfic**](http://sassyfic.livejournal.com/)  
 **Header Art:** Courtesy of the incredibly talented [](http://loki-girl.livejournal.com/profile)[**loki_girl**](http://loki-girl.livejournal.com/).  
 **Authors Notes:** As many of you know, Western Lovers is my own particular labour of love, even though in the past it was ostensibly finished, there was always something missing for you the reader. I wanted to remedy that for you. The story is basically the same story, but it has so much more now. At the end of this series of postings you will all know all of the Western Lovers family and all of their pasts and secrets. On behalf of all of them and me, I hope you enjoy their story as much as they do.

 **Summer 1999, The Mortensen Spread, USA**

Dust sprayed around him in a huge billowing cloud as Billy pulled his tundra green BMW R1100RT bike to a halt beside a dilapidated gateway. The grey weathered timbers that formed the arch over the entry were sagging tiredly. One of the uprights had fallen to the ground and was balancing precariously against the top rail of a fence that was almost as unstable as the gateway. As far as Billy could see, the only thing holding up the entire structure was the gate that lay against the fence, connected by only one hinge.

A sign, nailed to the only stable upright, proclaimed the future of the property: foreclosure.  
He kicked the mail box that lay on the ground. As it turned over in the dust, the name painted on in faded black letters attracted his attention.

Mortensen.

This was the place he had come to find.

After giving the mailbox a final kick, sending it tumbling out of the way, Billy rode slowly down the rutted driveway. His shrewd green eyes took in the state of the property as he made his way down the long drive towards a ramshackle collection of buildings.  
He parked the bike under a huge spreading tree and pulled his helmet off. He dropped the helmet onto the seat of his bike, unzipped his dusty denim jacket and stretched lazily as he took stock of his surroundings.

The ranch wasn’t much to look at but he knew already that it had potential beyond the four dilapidated buildings he could already see. Walking to what once could have been a stock enclosure, he squatted and sifted his hand through the red dirt at his feet. He lifted a handful of the dry dust to eye level and looked at it without really seeing it, letting his thoughts turn to what might have been ... and what might yet be. As the wind blew the dust away from his fingers, he vowed that he wouldn't let this chance slip away from him so easily.

Standing up, he brushed the powdery residue from his hands and turned back to the main building. He ought to find the owner and make his presence known.

“Whadya want?” a slurred voice called from the porch as he approached what appeared to be the house.

“Are ye the owner?” Billy responded, walking slowly down the slight incline.

“Fer the next two weeks.” Mortensen - tall, lean and almost as dessicated as the land around him staggered to his feet. It didn’t take a genius to work out that he was already well on his way to drunk, and the sun hadn’t even reached its peak.

“What went wrong?” Billy asked casually as he stepped up onto the sagging stairs to the porch, his weight bending the weathered wood and making it creak loudly.

“Nothing that concerns you.”

Billy ignored both the hostility in the older man’s voice and the smell of cheap spirits that emanated from his pores, and extended a hand for the other man to shake.

Mortensen ignored Billy’s outstretched hand and pushed past him into the house. The screen door smacked crookedly against the door frame, its sole remaining hinge struggling with the task of keeping it vertical.

“Ah’d have thought that a man could run a spread like this well with a son or two.” Billy commented, as he gazed out over the view that even neglect and despair couldn’t destroy.

“You want something?” Mortensen stepped back onto the porch, two cans of beer in his hand. He took a large gulp from one as he extended the second to Billy. “Or are you just here to talk my ear off?”

Billy refused the can, one eyebrow quirked in silent disapproval as the man shrugged his shoulders and sank back onto the seat he had so recently vacated.

“Strikes meh ye widnae get much company out here.” Billy walked along the porch, taking careful stock of the sagging railings and the worn floorboards. “Ye should have a son to help.”

“I don’t have a son anymore. Don’t need anyone,” the man growled as he threw his now-empty beer can onto the small mountain of cans at the end of the porch.

“Because it seems ye’re doing such a shite-hot job of running things on your own?” Billy turned to look him in the face.

“It’s not my fault. He fucked off.” He popped the top on the second can of beer, and took a long drink from it.

“And that widnae be your fault at all.” Billy shook his head in disbelief, unable to hide his disgust.

“He left. Not me.” He staggered to his feet, advancing towards Billy haltingly. “What the fuck do you want? My son is none of your business.”

“Ye're Viggo Mortensen …. senior?” Billy asked quietly.

“You fucking know I am,” he answered. “Or you wouldn’t be asking.” His brow was furrowed, as if he were searching his beer-soaked brain cells for some sign that they had met before.

“Where is your son?”

“Gone.” He pressed a finger to Billy’s chest, “And good riddance to him too. Useless prick. Was more worried about saving the world than doing what he should for his folks.”

“Sounds like ye’re more interested in the bottom of a bottle than your own family.”

“Get off my property. This is none of your business. Who the fuck are you anyway?” He swayed on his feet and another wave of sour, fetid breath washed over Billy.

“I’m a friend of your son’s. That makes it my business. I’m not going to let you piss away your son’s inheritance, just because ye’re a drunk.”

“Get off my property. I don’t need you, and I don't need him.”

“Ye’re wrong, Mortensen. I’m the answer to your prayers.” Billy took a step forward, forcing Mortensen to stagger backwards and fall into the chair he had been sprawled in when Billy arrived. Billy leaned over him, his face hard and set, his voice cold and menacing. "This is how things are going to work. I’m going to pay the money ye owe. I'm going to have a half share in this ranch. Yes I am, and don't argue. If ye ever want to leave, that is your own choice, but ye will only sell to me.” Billy stabbed his finger into Mortensen’s chest, punctuating each of his demands.

“Or what?” Mortensen snarled his eyes wide in surprise at the sudden aggression.  
Billy leaned down, his face so close to Mortensen’s that the stale booze on his breath almost made Billy gag.

“Or I’m your worst fecking nightmare.”


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Billy is a man to be reckoned with. Can Dom heal his wounded soul and his own into the bargain. Could Billy make him forget the bitter lessons of the past?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> As many of you know, Western Lovers is my own particular labour of love, even though in the past it was ostensibly finished, there was always something missing for you the reader. I wanted to remedy that for you. At the end of this posting you will all know all of the Western Lovers family and all of their pasts and secrets. On behalf of all of them and me, I hope you enjoy their story as much as they do.

_**FIC REPOST: Western Lovers: Cowboys & Archaeologists (2/44) (New Chapter)**_  
  
[](http://s265.photobucket.com/albums/ii203/sassypro365/?action=view&current=banforsas.jpg)  
 **Title:** Western Lovers: Cowboys and Archaeologists  
 **Author:**[](http://sassywitch.livejournal.com/profile)[ **sassywitch**](http://sassywitch.livejournal.com/)  
 **Beta** by the talented [](http://alassenya.livejournal.com/profile)[**alassenya**](http://alassenya.livejournal.com/)  
 **Pairing:** BB/DM  
 **Rating:** NC-17 for the series.  
 **Summary:** Billy is a man to be reckoned with. Can Dom heal his wounded soul and his own into the bargain. Could Billy make him forget the bitter lessons of the past?  
 **Feedback:** Feedback is my writers crack, which is not to be confused at all with plumbers crack.  
 **Acknowledgements:** There are so many people that have helped in the creation of the Double L and it’s families. Thank you to [](http://alassenya.livejournal.com/profile)[**alassenya**](http://alassenya.livejournal.com/) for everything, [](http://hisniblets.livejournal.com/profile)[**hisniblets**](http://hisniblets.livejournal.com/) for the dialect help, thanks for [](http://billyhasmyheart.livejournal.com/profile)[**billyhasmyheart**](http://billyhasmyheart.livejournal.com/) for all the research assistance particularly with the bike specs and to [](http://glasgowhobbit.livejournal.com/profile)[**glasgowhobbit**](http://glasgowhobbit.livejournal.com/) for the recipe help. [](http://celtprincess13.livejournal.com/profile)[**celtprincess13**](http://celtprincess13.livejournal.com/) brings you better grammar and punctuation than I ever could. Thank you all, The Double L wouldn’t be the same without any of you. **Disclaimer:** Not at all true in reality. These men whilst adorable and perfectly happy to slash themselves, their actual relationship is something that they only know. This story is adapted from a series of books that I adored when I was younger written by Elizabeth Lowell.  
 **Word Count:** 1221  
 **Previous Posting:** [Chapter1|  
 **Posted to:** ](http://sassyfic.livejournal.com/30798.html)[](http://fellowshippers.livejournal.com/profile)[**fellowshippers**](http://fellowshippers.livejournal.com/), [](http://monaboyd.livejournal.com/profile)[**monaboyd**](http://monaboyd.livejournal.com/) and [](http://sassyfic.livejournal.com/profile)[**sassyfic**](http://sassyfic.livejournal.com/)  
 **Header Art:** Courtesy of the incredibly talented [](http://loki-girl.livejournal.com/profile)[**loki_girl**](http://loki-girl.livejournal.com/).  
 **Authors Notes:** As many of you know, Western Lovers is my own particular labour of love, even though in the past it was ostensibly finished, there was always something missing for you the reader. I wanted to remedy that for you. At the end of this posting you will all know all of the Western Lovers family and all of their pasts and secrets. On behalf of all of them and me, I hope you enjoy their story as much as they do.

The sharp rap at his door sounded like a gunshot to Dominic Monaghan as he sat at his work bench totally engrossed in piecing together fragments of history. A fragile shard from a long buried pot slipped from his fingers and snapped into two long splinters on his battered wooden work bench.

“Coming!” he called, collecting his thoughts, his heart beating almost out of his chest he was so startled.

Pushing too-large sleeves up his forearms he padded through his apartment, his bare feet pattering on the polished wooden floor.

“Who is it?” he asked warily as he reached his heavy front door, one hand on the dead bolt, the other on the door handle.

“It’s me, Dom, Liv Mortensen,” came a lyrical but disembodied voice through the door.

“Liv? What are you doing here?” Dom smiled at the memory of his friend and former student. She had instantly been a friend and her love of Anasazi history almost matched his. She had been his star pupil, in fact he had tried to convince her to take up teaching, but love had found her and she had dropped out just before her graduation. He hadn’t seen her since save for phone calls and letters, but his eyes widened as he swung the door open. “Whoah!” he exclaimed as he saw her, heavily pregnant, standing on his bristly welcome mat and jiggling from one foot to the other. “What have you been up to?”

“Clearly, no good,” Liv grinned and pointed at her distended belly, her smile wide but strained.

“What’s wrong? Shouldn't you sit down?” He stepped back to usher her into the apartment.

“Actually, darling, I really need to pee, can I use your little girl's room? It’s been at least 20 minutes since the last gas station.” She flicked her long fringe out of her eyes and blushed charmingly as she asked.

“Sure, down the hall,” he grinned as she brushed past him - clearly a woman on a mission.

“Second door on the right. I’ll put the kettle on. Still got a thing for Orange Pekoe?”

“Is there any other?” she laughed, her voice muffled by the closed bathroom door.  
By the time Liv emerged from the bathroom, Dom had a pot of tea steeping on the middle of his kitchen table, a pair of mismatched mugs beside it, and was slicing a tea cake that was left over from the previous last night’s Pot Shard Party.

“You’re a life saver, Dommie.” She entered the kitchen and leaned in to kiss his cheek. “My bladder isn’t worth a damn since I got pregnant. It’s most aggravating.” She pulled out a chair and carefully lowered herself onto it. Placing the large hand bag Dom hadn’t yet noticed on the floor beside her feet . She leaned over to pour them both a cup of tea as Dom sat down opposite her, his expression bemused as he watched Liv take over in his house.

“How’s my favourite professor?” she asked.

“Why do I get the impression you’re buttering me up for something?” Dom replied, one eyebrow  
quirked as he looked at her over the top of his mug.

“Not buttering, darling.” She lifted a piece of tea cake and took a bite from it. “Mmm, this is good.”

“It’s just left overs from last night’s Pot Shard Party.” Dom shrugged.

“You still have them?” Liv leaned forward, pressing her elbows to the table, “I used to love them.”

“I’ll have them for as long as I have students I think.”

“That’s cos they love you as much as they love the history.” Liv bit into the soft cake again.

“So …. you’re not buttering me up?” Dom prompted.

“Oh, that’s right. I’ve soooo got pregnancy brain.” She shook her head. “Where was I?” she grinned at Dom.

“Somewhere between buttering and explaining.” Dom prompted her.

“We’ve got a proposition for you.” Liv stated as she gestured for permission to have a second piece of cake.

Dom pushed the plate towards her and sighed, remembering Liv’s often distracted thought processes. She was quite brilliant but sometimes her mind took the long and winding road before it reached it’s point.

“Sorry, I left home before I had a chance for breakfast and the sprout is hungry.” She looked at Dom pointedly. “Viggo and I would like to contract you for the summer.”

“You want to what?” Dom squawked.

“We want you to illustrate Arwen Canyon for us.” Liv stated

“Why?” Dom blustered, “Surely you could do it justice.”

Liv pointed to her belly and looked at him as if he had grown a second head. “Even if I wasn’t about to spawn an alien, nobody could do a better job of it than you.”

“Spawning an alien?” Dom stated, his face deadpan.

“Actually, could you? I think I’m done incubating this alien. Anytime you’d like to take over, I’m good. I think my toes have moved to a different zipcode. Viggo paints them for me but I miss them, you know?” She shook her head briefly, “You know what I mean, Dom, don’t be obtuse.” She slapped his wrist across the table.

“I’ll think about it.” He nodded.

“I’m not leaving until you say yes. You know that, don’t you?” Liv grinned.

“Does that mean that I have to restock my pantry?” Dom laughed.

“Please think about it, Dom.” Liv reached over the table and folded Dom’s hand in both of hers.

“I’m serious, you’ll get paid to be out there to do the thing you love to do, you won’t have anyone to disturb you. Just you and the ruins. What more could you ask for?”

“It does sound enticing.” Dom nodded. “Are you sure I’d be alone?”

“Absolutely. I know how you like your solitude. There would be no one anywhere near you, except for grad students on weekends if you approve.”

“When would you need an answer?” Dom sipped from his mug, calmly watching Liv over the rim.

“Yesterday?” she batted her lashes at him.

“That won’t work with me remember.” Dom laughed. “I’m immune to your feminine wiles.”

“Damn I knew I should have sent Vig.” She admonished herself, then sat watching Dom for long minutes. “Please Dom? For Me?”

“I won’t be able to start for at least ten weeks. There are eight weeks left of lectures and it will take me a couple of weeks to sort things if I'm going to be away for the summer.”

“Does that mean you will?” Liv almost screeched, bouncing to her feet and upending her chair.

“I think it does.” Dom nodded, jumping up quickly, his hands extended, worried that Liv was going to hurt herself, or at least prematurely spawn if she fell.

Liv immediately flung her arms around her friend and hugged him tightly, tears of happiness in her eyes. “It’ll be so good to have you at home. I’ll set up the old ranch house for you. You’ll see you’ll love it there.”

“Don’t get too excited Liv.” Dom hugged her tightly, “I’ll see how it goes.”

“I’m not excited.” She replied, dragging a large binder filled squeezed full of notes from her tote and thrust it at Dom, “I’m just happy that my favourite professor and best friend is going to spend the summer with me.”


	3. Western Lovers: Cowboys and Archaeologists

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Billy is a man to be reckoned with. Can Dom heal his wounded soul and his own into the bargain. Could Billy make him forget the bitter lessons of the past?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> As many of you know, Western Lovers is my own particular labour of love, even though in the past it was ostensibly finished, there was always something missing for you the reader. I wanted to remedy that for you. At the end of this posting you will all know all of the Western Lovers family and all of their pasts and secrets. On behalf of all of them and me, I hope you enjoy their story as much as they do.

_  
**Fic: Western lovers: Cowboys & Archaeologists (3/44)**   
_   
  
[   
](http://s265.photobucket.com/albums/ii203/sassypro365/?action=view&current=banforsas.jpg)

**Title:** Western Lovers: Cowboys and Archaeologists  
 **Author:**[](http://sassywitch.livejournal.com/profile)[ **sassywitch**](http://sassywitch.livejournal.com/)  
 **Beta** by the talented [](http://celtprincess13.livejournal.com/profile)[**celtprincess13**](http://celtprincess13.livejournal.com/)  
 **Pairing:** BB/DM  
 **Rating:** NC-17 for the series.  
 **Summary:** Billy is a man to be reckoned with. Can Dom heal his wounded soul and his own into the bargain. Could Billy make him forget the bitter lessons of the past?  
 **Feedback:** Feedback is my writers crack, which is not to be confused at all with plumbers crack.  
 **Acknowledgements:** There are so many people that have helped in the creation of the Double L and it’s families. Thank you to [](http://alassenya.livejournal.com/profile)[**alassenya**](http://alassenya.livejournal.com/) for everything, [](http://hisniblets.livejournal.com/profile)[**hisniblets**](http://hisniblets.livejournal.com/) for the dialect help, thanks for [](http://billyhasmyheart.livejournal.com/profile)[**billyhasmyheart**](http://billyhasmyheart.livejournal.com/) for all the research assistance particularly with the bike specs and to [](http://glasgowhobbit.livejournal.com/profile)[**glasgowhobbit**](http://glasgowhobbit.livejournal.com/) for the recipe help. [](http://celtprincess13.livejournal.com/profile)[**celtprincess13**](http://celtprincess13.livejournal.com/) brings you better grammar and punctuation than I ever could. Thank you all, The Double L wouldn’t be the same without any of you.  
 **Disclaimer:** Not at all true in reality. These men whilst adorable and perfectly happy to slash themselves, their actual relationship is something that they only know. This story is adapted from a series of books that I adored when I was younger written by Elizabeth Lowell.  
 **Word Count:** 2992  
 **Posted to:** [](http://fellowshippers.livejournal.com/profile)[**fellowshippers**](http://fellowshippers.livejournal.com/) , [](http://monaboyd.livejournal.com/profile)[**monaboyd**](http://monaboyd.livejournal.com/) and [](http://sassyfic.livejournal.com/profile)[**sassyfic**](http://sassyfic.livejournal.com/)  
 **Header Art:** Courtesy of the incredibly talented [](http://loki-girl.livejournal.com/profile)[**loki_girl**](http://loki-girl.livejournal.com/).  
 **Authors Notes:** As many of you know, Western Lovers is my own particular labour of love, even though in the past it was ostensibly finished, there was always something missing for you the reader. I wanted to remedy that for you. At the end of this posting you will all know all of the Western Lovers family and all of their pasts and secrets. On behalf of all of them and me, I hope you enjoy their story as much as they do.

 **Previous Chapters:**  
[Chapter 1|](http://sassyfic.livejournal.com/30798.html) [Chapter 2|](http://sassyfic.livejournal.com/31180.html)

  
Dominic Monaghan drove into the Double L's dusty ranch yard, and after pulling into the shade of a large spreading tree, he shut off his prehistoric car's clanking engine. He had planned to sit and acclimatize himself for a while, but, the first thing he saw was a cowboy that seemed to his own diminutive size, as big as a barn door, standing on the front porch. Unconsciously, his hands clenched on the wheel, betraying his instant unease in the presence of men in general, and bigger, ruggedly well built men in particular.

The ranch house's front door opened and closed with a loud bang. When another equally work hardened man in boots and jeans came out of the house and began walking towards Dominic, carrying a geologist's hammer in his huge meaty fist, Dom’s heart began to beat a frantic tattoo in his chest. The man squinted into the sun, watching Dominic’s vehicle with interest. Over toward the corral, a third cowboy was climbing onto a horse. The man wasn’t as tall as the others but he was so muscular he made the horse look like a kid's pony.

My God, Dominic thought, don't they have any average size men out here? Crowding that thought came another that was even more disturbing. I can't spend a summer close to these men! But then, a more calming thought, I won't have to. I'll be at the Arwen Canyon site. I’ll be safe. I just have to get through tonight.

Someone called out from the house and Dom recognized Liv's melodic voice, letting out a soundless sigh of relief as the first big man turned immediately and went back inside at the sound of his name. Viggo Mortensen, Liv's husband. Liv hadn’t told him just how big her husband was.

As a bit of Dom's uneasiness faded, he recognized the second man from photos he’d seen in the past. Sean Bean, Liv's half brother. He was coming towards Dom, slipping the hammer into a loop on his leather belt as he walked. Hastily, Dom got out of his car. He had learned in the past few years not to show his distrust of men, especially bigger men, yet he still couldn't force himself to be close to any man in a confined space, particularly a car. His only defense was to meet them on equal ground, or if not truly equal, at least not confined and able to escape if the necessity arose.

Before Sean got to Dom, another call from the house stopped him. Sean waved to Dom, said something he couldn't really hear or understand, and went back into the ranch house.

A sudden burst of activity outside the corral caught Dom's attention. A horse had its head down between its forelegs, its back steeply arched, and its body was uncoiling like a released spring. A few spectacular bucks later, the horse's beefy rider lost his grip on the saddle. Flying inelegantly through the air, he hit the ground, rolled to his hands and knees, and came up onto his feet with a lunge, ready to avoid flailing hooves if necessary. He grabbed the bridle close to the bit and began beating the horse with a heavy quirt. The horse whinnied in terror, and tried to escape, but was helpless against the cruel grip on the bridle.

Without stopping to think, Dom started toward the terrified horse, yelling at the man to stop. Before he had taken three steps, a man dressed in a light green shirt, that Dom hadn’t noticed before, vaulted the corral fence and landed like a cat, running lithely toward the brutal cowboy, gaining speed with every stride. The running man was smaller and unarmed, hardly a fair match against the bigger, beefy man wielding a whip.

Behind Dom, the ranch house door slammed and more men came running. Another man, stocky and aging, with grey thinning hair ran out of the barn, saw what was happening and yelled, "Careful, Ramrod! Serkis' quirt has lead shot in it!"

Serkis wheeled to face Billy Boyd, the Double L's ramrod. Serkis flipped the quirt over in his hand, wielding the thick leather stock as a club rather than using the whip end against Billy. When his thick arm lifted, Dom screamed out in warning, and men shouted. Only Billy was silent. He closed the last few feet between himself and Serkis as the lead weighted quirt came smashing down.

Billy didn't flail with his fists or duck away from the blow. The edge of his left hand connected with Serkis' wrist, and the quirt went spinning up and away, flying end over end through the air. Simultaneously, the Ramrod's right fist delivered a short chopping blow to Serkis' heart. Billy pivoted, slammed an elbow into Serkis' diaphragm and sent another chopping blow to his neck as the bigger man bent over, folding up, all fight gone. Before the quirt even hit the ground, Serkis was stretched out full length, face down in the gritty red dirt, unmoving.

Torn between disbelief and shock, Dom came to a stop staring at the Double L's Ramrod. He shook his head trying to understand how a man who was six inches shorter and sixty pounds lighter than his adversary had begun and ended a fight before the bigger man could land a blow. As though at a distance, he heard Viggo and Sean go by him, moving more slowly now, grins plastered on both handsome, weathered faces. Shock forced Dom to stand frozen as he realized he had unwittingly put himself in the middle of a group of large rugged men.

"Nice work, Billy," Viggo said.

"Amen," said Sean. Then to Viggo, "Remind me never to pick a fight with your Ramrod. Somebody sure taught him how to play hardball."

Billy said nothing, for he was far more interested in calming the frightened horse than in talking about the brief fight.

"Easy girl. Easy now. No-one's going to hurt you. Easy….Easy."

As Billy spoke, he approached the sweating, trembling mare. When he saw streaks of blood mixed with the horse's lather, he swore, but the soothing tone of his lilting, Scottish brogue never changed, despite the scalding nature of his words. Slowly, he closed his hands around the reins and began checking over the mare.

As Billy's hands began to move over the animal, she began to calm down, and not once did the Ramrod look toward the motionless Serkis. Billy knew precisely how much damage he had done to the brutal cowboy; what Billy wanted to know was how badly the horse had been hurt. His hands efficiently removed the bridle from the horse and were stroking her muzzle gently as his soothing brogue calmed her fear. He pressed his stubble covered cheek against the horse’s as she started to settle, blood streaked saliva staining Billy’s shirt as the horse nudged him.

Sean sat on his heels next to Serkis and checked for visible injuries, quickly discovering there was nothing obvious. After a few moments, Sean stood and said, "Out cold, but still breathing."

Viggo grunted. "Any permanent damage?"

"Not that I can see."

"He won't be swinging a quirt for a while," Billy said without looking up from the mare. "Not with his right hand anyway. I broke his wrist."

"Too bad it wasn't his neck," Viggo said. "You warned him last week about beating a horse." Viggo turned to Bernard, who had yelled the warning about the quirt to Billy.

"Bring the truck around. You're on garbage detail tonight."

"Where to?" asked Bernard.

"Helm's Deep."

"Forty miles out and forty miles back, damn near all on dirt roads," Bernard grumbled. "In the old days, we'd have dumped his carcass on the ranch boundary and let him walk to town."

"Not here, this is the Double L not the Mortensen spread. Dump him at Doc Newton’s." Viggo said, stretching lazily. "My great granddaddy once killed a man for beating a horse. I won’t tolerate his cruelty but won’t let us be lowered to his level either."

Slowly, Dom retreated, walking backwards for a few steps before turning and moving quickly towards his car. Though he was a student of human history – Anasazi history, to be precise – he wasn't accustomed to having history lessons served to him raw. He didn't like having it pointed out that the veneer of civilization was wafer thin, even in modern times, and it was almost non-existent in big, rugged men.

 _I shouldn't be shocked. I know better than most people what men are like underneath their shirts and ties, shaving lotions and smiles. Savages and Outlaws. All of them. Outlaws who use their strength against those who are weaker. Outlaws who take what they want and damn the consequences._

A vivid picture came to Dom's mind – the man called Billy coming over the fence, attacking the big cowboy, reducing the larger man to unconsciousness with a few violent blows. He shuddered.

"Dom? What happened?"

He looked up and saw Liv standing on the front porch, cradling a tiny baby in her arms. Her voice was filled with the frustration of someone who didn’t know what had happened.

"One of the men was beating on a horse." Dom said.

"Serkis." Liv's mouth flattened from its usual generous curve as she realized the culprit. "Billy warned him."

"He did more than that. He beat him unconscious."

"Billy? That doesn't sound like him. I've never seen him lose his temper."

"Is he your Ramrod?"

Liv nodded. "Yes, he's the Double L's foreman."

"Green shirt, ginger hair, small?"

"Small?" She asked, surprised. "I don't think of Billy as small."

"He's a lot smaller than Serkis."

"Oh… I guess so." Liv nodded. "Is he alright?"

"His wrist is broken."

"Billy's hurt? Oh my God, I've got to-" Liv head flicked frantically as she looked for Billy. Clutching her baby closer to her chest, she rose onto her toes, trying desperately to find Billy in the throng of men in the stockyard.

"Not Billy," Dom interrupted quickly. "Serkis is the one with the broken wrist."

"Oh." Relief changed Liv's face from strained to pretty as she relaxed again. "Then Billy will take care of it. He's had medic training." She looked closely at Dom. "You're pale. Are you alright?"

Dom closed his eyes. "I'm fine. It was a long drive out and the road was rough. Now I know why. I was going back in time as well as miles."

Laughing and shaking her head, Liv shifted the sleeping baby and held out her hand to Dom. "You’re nuts, Dom. Come in and have some coffee. French roast, Columbian beans, with just enough Java beans blended in to give the coffee finesse as well as strength. Or we've got some of that God awful British tea you like so much."

Dom's eyelids snapped open. The smoky blue of his eyes were vivid against his still pale face. "I'm hallucinating. They didn't have French roast in the old west did they?"

"I don't know, but this isn't the old west."

"You could have fooled me," Dom said, thinking about the outlaws and brawls, and a man with the lethal speed of a cat. But despite his thoughts, he allowed Liv to lead him across the porch and into the cool ranch house. "Your Ramrod would have made one hell of an outlaw."

"In the old days, a lot of good men were outlaws. They had no choice. There wasn't any law to be inside of." Liv laughed at the expression on Dom's face. "But don't worry the bad old days are gone. Look in our side yard. There's a satellite dish sucking up all kinds of exotic signals from space. We have television, a VCR, radios, CD players, personal computers, a dishwasher, microwave, washer and dryer. The whole enchilada."

"And cowboys swinging quirts full of lead shot," Dom muttered.

"Is that what Serkis did?"

Dom nodded.

"My God. No wonder Billy lost his temper."

"What temper? He looked about as angry as a man chopping wood."

Liv shook her head unhappily. "Poor Billy. He's had a tough time ramrodding this crew in the past year."

"'Poor Billy' looked like he could handle it," Dom said beneath his breath.

"The ranch is so remote it's hard to get good men to stay. I don't know how we'd manage without Billy. And now that we've found museum quality Anasazi artifacts in Arwen Canyon, the pothunters are descending in hordes. Someone has to stay at the site all the time. Sean has been doing it but he has to leave tomorrow for the Andes. Now we're going to be more short handed than ever."

"The Andes, huh? Great. Everybody deserves a vacation," Dom said, cheered by the thought that there would be one less big man on the ranch.

"Sean isn't exactly going on a vacation. One of his colleagues thinks there's a mother lode back up on the flanks of one those nameless granite peaks. That's the one thing Sean can't resist."

"Nameless peaks?"

"Hard rock and gold. Billy calls Sean 'The Granite Man' but swears it's because of Sean's hard head, not his love of hard rock mining."

Liv tucked the baby into an old-fashioned cradle that was next to the kitchen table. The baby stirred, opened sleepy grey eyes, and slid back into sleep once more as Liv slowly rocked the cradle.

"How's the little man doing?" Dom asked softly bending over the baby until his short blonde-streaked hair, blended with the honey finish of the cradle.

"Growing like a weed in the sun. Milo's going to be at least as big as his daddy."

Dom looked at the soft cheeked, six week old baby, and tried to imagine it fully grown, as big as Viggo, beard stubbled and powerful. "You'd better start domesticating this little outlaw soon or you'll never have the chance."

Liv laughed in the instant before she realized that Dom was serious. She looked at her friend for a moment, remembering the class she had taken from Dr. Dominic Monaghan, artist and archeologist, a man who was reputedly gentle natured, a good man who closed himself away from everything but his studies and his students. At the time, Liv had dismissed the comments as gossip and they had become firm friends, but now she wasn't so sure.

"You make it sound like I'll need a whip and a chair," Liv said.

"Those are customary tools for dealing with wild animals, and men are definitely in that category."

"Not all men are like Serkis."

Dom made a sound that could have been agreement or disbelief as he began stroking the baby's cheek with a gentle fingertip, careful not to awaken him. He admired the perfect, tiny eyelashes, the snub nose, the flushed lips, the miniature fingers curled in relaxation on the pale cradle blanket. Gradually, he noticed more of the cradle itself, how the grain of the wood had been perfectly matched to the curves of the cradle, how the pieces had been fitted together without nails, how the wood itself had been polished to a gentle satin luster.

"What a beautiful cradle," Dom said softly running his fingertips over the wood. "It's a work of art, where did you get it?"

"Viggo made it. He has wonderful hands, strong and gentle."

Dom looked at the cradle once more and the tiny baby lying securely within. He tried not to think how much he would have liked a child of his own. Years ago, Dom had abandoned the thought of a long term relationship with anyone, but the thought of being a father one day still haunted him.

"If Viggo is gentle with you and little Milo," Dom said quietly, touching the pale blanket with his fingertips. "You're a lucky woman and you have one man in a million."

Before Liv could say anything more, Dom stood and turned away from the cradle, blinking back sharp tears.

"I think I'll take a rain check on that coffee. I want to get my stuff unloaded and the truck repacked before dinner."

"Of course. We're putting you in the old ranch house, it’s where all the artifacts from the site are being kept, so I thought it would be convenient for you.. Just follow the road out beyond the barn. When the road forks, go to the right, to the left will take you to the bunkhouse. The old house is only about a hundred yards from the barn. Dinner is at six. Don't bother to knock. Just come in the back way. The dining room is just off the kitchen and both rooms have outside doors. We all eat together during the week. Sundays the hands fend for themselves. Naturally you'll eat with us."

“Naturally.” Dom replied absently gulping down the fear he felt at the possibility of sitting in a room filled with huge, rugged men.

Dom looked at the long, narrow room just off the kitchen. Two rectangular tables pushed together all but filled the room. He tried to imagine what it would be like to eat surrounded by big, male bodies. The thought was daunting. Dom took a slow breath, told himself that he would be spending nearly all of his time at the site in Arwen Canyon, and turned back to Liv.

“Go, settle in Dom, we can talk more at dinner time.” Liv replied.

"Thanks," Dom said. "I'll be back at six, whip in one hand, chair in the other."  



	4. Western Lovers: Cowboys and Archaeologists

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Billy is a man to be reckoned with. Can Dom heal his wounded soul and his own into the bargain. Could Billy make him forget the bitter lessons of the past?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> As many of you know, Western Lovers is my own particular labour of love, even though in the past it was ostensibly finished, there was always something missing for you the reader. I wanted to remedy that for you. At the end of this posting you will all know all of the Western Lovers family and all of their pasts and secrets. On behalf of all of them and me, I hope you enjoy their story as much as they do. I have fallen off the posting wagon courtesy of a lot of things going down IRL. Forgive me?

_  
**Fic: Western lovers: Cowboys & Archaeologists (4/44)**   
_   
  
[   
](http://s265.photobucket.com/albums/ii203/sassypro365/?action=view&current=banforsas.jpg)

  
**Title:** Western Lovers: Cowboys and Archaeologists  
 **Author:**[](http://sassywitch.livejournal.com/profile)[ **sassywitch**](http://sassywitch.livejournal.com/)  
 **Beta** by the talented [](http://celtprincess13.livejournal.com/profile)[**celtprincess13**](http://celtprincess13.livejournal.com/)  
 **Pairing:** BB/DM  
 **Rating:** NC-17 for the series.  
 **Summary:** Billy is a man to be reckoned with. Can Dom heal his wounded soul and his own into the bargain. Could Billy make him forget the bitter lessons of the past?  
 **Feedback:** Feedback is my writers crack, which is not to be confused at all with plumbers crack.  
 **Acknowledgements:** There are so many people that have helped in the creation of the Double L and it’s families. Thank you to [](http://alassenya.livejournal.com/profile)[**alassenya**](http://alassenya.livejournal.com/) for everything, [](http://hisniblets.livejournal.com/profile)[**hisniblets**](http://hisniblets.livejournal.com/) for the dialect help, thanks for [](http://billyhasmyheart.livejournal.com/profile)[**billyhasmyheart**](http://billyhasmyheart.livejournal.com/) for all the research assistance particularly with the bike specs and to [](http://glasgowhobbit.livejournal.com/profile)[**glasgowhobbit**](http://glasgowhobbit.livejournal.com/) for the recipe help. [](http://celtprincess13.livejournal.com/profile)[**celtprincess13**](http://celtprincess13.livejournal.com/) brings you better grammar and punctuation than I ever could. Thank you all, The Double L wouldn’t be the same without any of you. **Disclaimer:** Not at all true in reality. These men whilst adorable and perfectly happy to slash themselves, their actual relationship is something that they only know. This story is adapted from a series of books that I adored when I was younger written by Elizabeth Lowell.  
 **Word Count:** 2950  
 **Previous Posting:** [Chapter1|](http://sassyfic.livejournal.com/30798.html)[Chapter2|](http://sassyfic.livejournal.com/31180.html)[Chapter3|](http://sassyfic.livejournal.com/31243.html)

  
 **Posted to:** [](http://fellowshippers.livejournal.com/profile)[**fellowshippers**](http://fellowshippers.livejournal.com/) , [](http://monaboyd.livejournal.com/profile)[**monaboyd**](http://monaboyd.livejournal.com/) and [](http://sassyfic.livejournal.com/profile)[**sassyfic**](http://sassyfic.livejournal.com/)  
 **Header Art:** Courtesy of the incredibly talented [](http://loki-girl.livejournal.com/profile)[**loki_girl**](http://loki-girl.livejournal.com/).  
 **Authors Notes:** As many of you know, Western Lovers is my own particular labour of love, even though in the past it was ostensibly finished, there was always something missing for you the reader. I wanted to remedy that for you. At the end of this posting you will all know all of the Western Lovers family and all of their pasts and secrets. On behalf of all of them and me, I hope you enjoy their story as much as they do. I have fallen off the posting wagon courtesy of a lot of things going down IRL. Forgive me?

The alarm on Dom's digital watch cheeped annoyingly, breaking his concentration and stilling his pen as it scratched more questions in his pad of hastily jotted notes. He set aside the stack of numbered site photos and his notebook, reset his watch for a short time later, stretched and heard his stomach rumble in anticipation of dinner. Despite his hunger, he was reluctant to leave the hushed solitude of the old house and the silent companionship of the ancient artifacts lining the shelves of the workroom. In lieu of anything better, he had decided on studying the site photos and trying to get his bearings for when he drove out to the dig site tomorrow.

Slanting yellow light came through the north window, deepening the textures of stone and sandal fragments, potshards and glue pots, making everything appear to be infused with a mystic glow. Dom couldn't wait until tomorrow, when he would drive to Arwen Canyon. Photos, artifacts and essays, no matter how precise and scholarly, couldn't convey the complexity of the interlocking mystery of the Anasazi, the land and time.

His mind more on the past than the present, Dom walked slowly into the bathroom. The slanting light coming through the small, high window made the gold in his hair incandescent, and gave the darker strands a rich, satin luster. His eyes became indigo in shadow, vivid sapphire in direct light. The natural pink in his stubbled cheeks and lips contrasted with the dark brown of his light beard and the dense fringe of his thick eyelashes.

Once, Dom would have noticed his own understated looks and heightened them. Once, but no longer. Never again would he be accused by a man of using snares and lures to attract a partner, then teasing and maddening them with what he had no intention of giving. Never again would he put himself in a position where a bigger, stronger man felt entitled to take what he wanted in the belief that it had been offered - and if it hadn't, it should've been.

Soap, water, unscented lotion and a few strokes with a hairbrush, and Dom was ready for dinner. He thought longingly of eating alone in his solitary house. Wearing a cotton pullover big enough for a man twice, maybe three times his size, over loose fitting denim jeans and hiking boots, he turned to leave his new home.

He was going to need every inch of confidence he could get.

"Mmmmmreeeoooww."

Dom's head snapped toward the window at the unexpected sound. His heart beat a frantic tattoo against his ribcage as startled eyes searched for the source of the noise. A lean tiger striped cat with one chewed ear was standing outside on the tree limb that brushed against the bathroom window. The cat's forepaw was batting hopefully at the bottom of the window, which was open a crack.

"Hello," Dom said smiling as he advanced towards the window. "Do you live here?"

The paw, claws politely sheathed, patted again beneath the length of the opening.

"I get the message."

Dom pushed up the window enough for the cat to come in. It leaped from the windowsill to the edge of the sink with an effortless grace that reminded him of how the Double L's ramrod vaulted the corral fence and landed running.

The cat sniffed Dom's meager toiletries, nosed the peppermint toothpaste, sneezed, yowled softly and stropped itself against his midriff. Dom smiled as he ran his palm down the cat's spine, enjoying the supple arch of the animal's body as it rubbed against him in turn. Soon the vibrations of an uninhibited purr were rippling from the cat.

"You're a sweetheart." Dom said. "Would you let me hold you?"

The cat would. In fact, it insisted, and all but leapt into his arms.

"Goodness, you're heavy! Not fat, though. You must be all muscle."

The purring redoubled.

Laughing softly, Dom smoothed his cheeks and chin against the vibrant bundle of fur. The cat moved sinuously in return, twisting against him in slow motion, relishing the physical contact. And shedding, of course.

Dom looked at the gray, orange and black hairs sticking to the navy cotton sweater he was wearing and shrugged. Maybe some of the men would be allergic to cats. The thought had definite appeal.

"C'mon cat. Let's see if they allow felines in the dining room."

The cat burrowed more tightly into Dom's arms, clinging with just a hint of claws while he closed the bathroom window. Cradling the purring animal, Dom made a quick circuit of the old house, making sure everything was buttoned up in case the thunderstorm that had been threatening for the past hour actually got down to work. The bedroom was in order: windows shut, clothes put away, sheet turned down on the double bed with its antique headboard and blessedly new mattress set. The window over the kitchen sink was closed. The workroom with its two long tables and countless bins and cubbyholes and shelves was as orderly as it was ever likely to be.

Absently, Dom ran his fingertips over the smooth surface of a cabinet, wondering if Viggo had made this furniture as well as the cradle. He suspected that Viggo had. There was a quality of craftsmanship and care that was rare in modern furniture.

As his stomach growled, Dom eased his wrist out from under the cat and looked at his watch. Twenty minutes to six. His alarm would be going off soon, telling him he had to be where he very much didn't want to be – in a room full of strange big men.

 _Maybe if I get there early, I can grab a plate of food and a seat at the corner of the table. That way I won't be completely surrounded by savages._

 _Men, not savages,_ Dom reminded himself automatically, trying to be fair.

The part of himself that didn't care about fair shot back: _Men or savages. Same difference._

Dom remembered the fine-grained, carefully wrought cradle, and mentally placed a question mark beside Viggo's name. It was just possible that he wasn't a savage or an outlaw beyond the pale of gentle society. For Liv's sake, Dom hoped so. Liv had been one of his favorite students – bright, quick, eager, fascinated by the subject and had quickly become one of the few, real friends that Dom had.

The watch alarm cheeped again, and the cat's tail whipped in annoyance.

"I agree, cat, but it's the only way I remember to be anywhere. Once I start working over potshards or sketchbooks, everything else just goes away."

The cat made a disgruntled sound and resettled itself more comfortably in Dom's arms.

After shutting the front door, Dom looked down the narrow path that led from the old ranch house to the bigger, more modern one. Reluctant to confront the Double L's over-size men, he lingered for a moment on the front step of the old house. The grove of dark evergreens that surrounded the original ranch house was alive with rain scented wind. Clouds were seething overhead, their billows set off by spears of brassy gold light that made the wild bowl of the sky appear to be supported by shafts of pure light. Distant thunder rumbled, telling tales of invisible lightning.

Dom took a deep breath and felt excitement uncurl his nerves as the taste of the storm wind swept through him. The wind and promise of sweet rain had taken the gritty edge of the dust that had been swirling when he arrived. He realized he'd been cooped up in classrooms too long, but he was earning money so that he could explore the Anasazi homelands during the long, summer break. The boundless, ancient land of the Anasazi called to him, singing of people and cultures long vanished, mysteries whispering among shadow, shattered artifacts waiting to be made whole. That was what he had come to the Double L for – the undiscovered past. For too long he’d missed being outdoors, breathing the same air long gone warriors breathed. That was all about to change.

Caressing the huge cat absently with his chin, Dom walked the short distance up the hill to the big house. When the wind shifted, the smell of food beckoned to him, making him aware of the fact that he had missed lunch and had nervously pecked at breakfast.

The outside door to the dining room was open. Dom looked in but nobody was inside yet. From the bunkhouse beyond the corral came the sound of men calling to one another, talking about the day's work, of the pending storm, or commenting on the savory smell of dinner on the wind. Quietly, Dom walked the length of the dining room toward the door leading into the kitchen. He had just begun to hope that he would be able to grab a plate and eat alone when he stepped into the kitchen and stopped as though his feet had been nailed to the floor.

There was a man standing with his back to him, a stranger with wide shoulders stretching against the deep green fabric of his shirt. The suggestion of male power was emphasized by the line of his back, tapering down to lean hips, the muscular ease of his stance and the utter confidence of his posture as he stood motionless in black jeans and black boots, polished by use.

 _My God. He’s probably not even my height, but then he doesn't need to be huge. As he is, he's as tall and straight and hard and imposing as a stone cliff. No wonder he's confident. All he has to do is stand there and he dominates everything in the room._

Reflexively, Dom backed up, but succeeded only in giving away his presence by bumping into the doorjamb.

"Livvie?" the man said, turning around slowly. His voice was a lilting, Scottish brogue, slightly rough, a ragged kind of velvet as dark as his clothes. Head bent over something he was holding, his hair was subtly ginger, in a blond sort of way, curling thickly about his collar. "Can you give me a hand?"

Dom opened his mouth to say that he wasn't Liv but was so surprised by what he saw that no words came out.

A tiger striped kitten lay cupped in the man's lean, calloused hands. Hands that were smaller than Dom had expected yet had no less strength for their lack of size. The contrast between the man's strength and the kitten's soft body was as shocking as the clarity of the man's green eyes looking at him. Abruptly, Dom realized that he had seen him once before, under very different circumstances.

"You're the ramrod," Dom said without thinking.

"Most people call me Billy."

"You-Serkis-the horse."

Billy looked more closely at the man who stood before him, his unease as badly concealed as the tightly muscled body he was hiding under a loose, cotton sweater.

"You don’t need to worry. He won’t hurt you or the horses." Billy said, misreading the cause of Dom’s unease. "He won't be back. Have you seen Liv?"

Dom shook his head, making light twist through his short, silky hair. Billy's nostrils flared slightly as he smelled the freshness of soap and sunshine, and freshly showered skin.

"Think you could put Pounce down long enough to help me with Nosy?"

"Pounce?" Dom asked, wondering if he had lost his mind.

"That sly renegade who's grinning and purring in your arms."

"Oh….the cat." Dom looked down. "Pounce, huh?"

Billy made a sound of agreement that was suspiciously like a purr. "Best mouser on the Double L. Usually he's standoffish, but he can sense a particular kind of soft touch three miles away. From the smug look on his face, he was right about you."

The kitten stirred as though it wanted to be free, and short fingers closed gently, restraining the tiny animal without hurting or frightening it.

"Easy there, Nosy. That wound has to be cleaned up or you're going to be dead or three legged, which amounts to the same thing out here. And that would be a shame. You're the best looking kitten that ugly old mouser has sired."

Bemused by the picture man and kitten made, Dom opened his arms. Pounce took the hint, leapt gracefully to the floor and vanished into another room of the house. Drawn against his will by the kitten's need, Dom bent over Billy's hands.

"What's wrong with it?" he asked.

"She was just living up to her name. Either one of the chickens pecked her, or a hawk made a pass at her and she got free, or one of the bunkhouse dogs bit her, or…." Billy shrugged his thumb gently stroking the kitten's belly as he spoke.. "Lots of things can happen to a newly weaned kitten on a ranch."

"Poor little thing," Dom murmured, stroking the kitten with a fingertip, noticing for the first time that the fur on the animal's left haunch was rucked up over a knot of swollen flesh. "What do you want me to do?"

"Hold her while I clean her up. Normally her mother would take care of it, but she went hunting a week ago and never came home."

Dom looked up for an instant and received an impression of emerald clear eyes framed by thick lashes, and faint echos of freckles dotting his skin. The soft look in his eyes as he crooned to the kitten reassured Dom in an odd way that somehow soothed Dom’s jangled nerves and set him even more on edge all at the same time.

"Show me what to do." Dom’s voice sounded breathless even to him.

The left corner of Billy's mouth tipped upward approvingly as Dom followed his instructions automatically. He wasn’t sure what had caused it but he could feel Dominic’s skittishness and was oddly proud of him for standing his ground in the face of whatever his fear was to help Nosy. "Hold your hands out. That's it. Now hold Nosy here, and here, so I can get to the haunch. Hold on a little harder. You won't hurt her. She's still at the age where she's all rubber bands and curiosity."

The description made Dom smile at the same instant that warm, calloused fingers pressed over his own, showing his how much restraint to use on the kitten.

"That's good. Now hold tight."

In the silence that came while Billy gently examined the kitten, Dom could hear his own heartbeat and feel the subtle warmth of Billy's breath as he bent over the furry scrap of life he held in his hands.

"Damn. I was afraid of that."

"What?" Dom asked.

"I'll have to open it up."

Billy reached toward the counter with one arm, and for the first time, Dom noticed the open first aid kit. The sound of the wrapper being removed from the sterile, disposable scalpel seemed as loud to Dom as thunder.

Green eyes assessed Dom, missing nothing of his distress.

"I'll get Livvie," Billy said.

"No," Dom replied quickly. "I'm not squeamish. Well, not horribly. Everyone who works at remote sites has to go through first aid training. It's just….the kitten is so small."

"Close your eyes. It will make it easier on all of us."

Dom closed his eyes and held his breath, expecting to hear a cry of distress from the kitten when Billy went to work. Other than a slight twitch, the animal showed no reaction. Dom was equally still, so still he sensed the tiny currents of air made when Billy's hands moved over the small patient. The words he spoke to Nosy were like the purring of a mama cat, sound without meaning, except the most basic meaning of all – reassurance.

There was the sharp smell of disinfectant, the thin rasp of paper wrapping being torn away, and a sense of light pressure as Billy swabbed the wound clean.

"Okay. You can open your eyes now."

Dom looked down. The kitten's haunch was wet, marred only by a tiny cut. Most of the swelling was gone, removed when Billy lanced the boil that had formed over the wound.

"Thorn," Billy said holding up a wicked, vaguely curved fragment. "Wild rose from the looks of it."

"Will Nosy be alright now?"

"Should be."

Calloused fingers slid beneath the kitten, unconsciously moving over Dom's skin almost caressingly as Billy lifted the animal from his hands. His breath froze, but Billy never so much as glanced at Dom.

"C'mon Nosy," he said, cradling the kitten against his neck with his left hand. "You've taken up enough of your new friend's time. What you need now is a little sleep and TLC."

"TLC? Is that a medicine?"

The corner of Billy's mouth curved up again. "Best one in the world. Tender Loving Care."

As he spoke, Billy stroked Nosy's face with a fingertip that was as gentle as a whisper. After a few strokes, the kitten looked bemused and altogether content. Within moments, Nosy's eyelids lowered over round, amber eyes. There was a little yawn, the delicate curl of a tiny pink tongue, and the kitten was asleep.

With a feeling of unreality, Dom looked at the ramrod's hand curled protectively around the sleeping kitten, and remembered that same hand breaking a man's wrist, and then slamming him into unconsciousness before he could even cry out in pain.

Ramrod. The name suits him.

But so did the sleeping kitten.

Dom let his hands drop to his side and backed out of the kitchen, his eyes never leaving the man holding the tiny kitten.  



	5. Western Lovers: Cowboys and Archaeologists

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Billy is a man to be reckoned with. Can Dom heal his wounded soul and his own into the bargain. Could Billy make him forget the bitter lessons of the past?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> As many of you know, Western Lovers is my own particular labour of love, even though in the past it was ostensibly finished, there was always something missing for you the reader. I wanted to remedy that for you. At the end of this posting you will all know all of the Western Lovers family and all of their pasts and secrets. On behalf of all of them and me, I hope you enjoy their story as much as they do.

_  
**FIC REPOST: Western Lovers: Cowboys & Archaeologists (5/44)**   
_   
  
[   
](http://s265.photobucket.com/albums/ii203/sassypro365/?action=view&current=banforsas.jpg)

**Title:** Western Lovers: Cowboys and Archaeologists  
 **Author:**[](http://sassywitch.livejournal.com/profile)[ **sassywitch**](http://sassywitch.livejournal.com/)  
 **Beta** by the talented [](http://celtprincess13.livejournal.com/profile)[**celtprincess13**](http://celtprincess13.livejournal.com/)  
 **Pairing:** BB/DM  
 **Rating:** NC-17 for the series.  
 **Summary:** Billy is a man to be reckoned with. Can Dom heal his wounded soul and his own into the bargain. Could Billy make him forget the bitter lessons of the past?  
 **Feedback:** Feedback is my writers crack, which is not to be confused at all with plumbers crack.  
 **Acknowledgements:** There are so many people that have helped in the creation of the Double L and it’s families. Thank you to [](http://alassenya.livejournal.com/profile)[**alassenya**](http://alassenya.livejournal.com/) for everything, [](http://hisniblets.livejournal.com/profile)[**hisniblets**](http://hisniblets.livejournal.com/) for the dialect help, thanks for [](http://billyhasmyheart.livejournal.com/profile)[**billyhasmyheart**](http://billyhasmyheart.livejournal.com/) for all the research assistance particularly with the bike specs and to [](http://glasgowhobbit.livejournal.com/profile)[**glasgowhobbit**](http://glasgowhobbit.livejournal.com/) for the recipe help. [](http://celtprincess13.livejournal.com/profile)[**celtprincess13**](http://celtprincess13.livejournal.com/) brings you better grammar and punctuation than I ever could. Thank you all, The Double L wouldn’t be the same without any of you. **Disclaimer:** Not at all true in reality. These men whilst adorable and perfectly happy to slash themselves, their actual relationship is something that they only know. This story is adapted from a series of books that I adored when I was younger written by Elizabeth Lowell.  
 **Word Count:** 4496  
 **Previous Posting:** [Chapter1|](http://sassyfic.livejournal.com/30798.html)[Chapter2|](http://sassyfic.livejournal.com/31180.html)[Chapter3|](http://sassyfic.livejournal.com/31243.html)[Chapter4|](http://sassyfic.livejournal.com/31548.html)

  
 **Posted to:** [](http://fellowshippers.livejournal.com/profile)[**fellowshippers**](http://fellowshippers.livejournal.com/) , [](http://monaboyd.livejournal.com/profile)[**monaboyd**](http://monaboyd.livejournal.com/) and [](http://sassyfic.livejournal.com/profile)[**sassyfic**](http://sassyfic.livejournal.com/)  
 **Header Art:** Courtesy of the incredibly talented [](http://loki-girl.livejournal.com/profile)[**loki_girl**](http://loki-girl.livejournal.com/).  
 **Authors Notes:** As many of you know, Western Lovers is my own particular labour of love, even though in the past it was ostensibly finished, there was always something missing for you the reader. I wanted to remedy that for you. At the end of this posting you will all know all of the Western Lovers family and all of their pasts and secrets. On behalf of all of them and me, I hope you enjoy their story as much as they do.

Dinner was on the table at six o'clock, straight up. By long standing custom, no one waited for latecomers. That included Viggo, who was on the phone talking to the sheriff. No one took Viggo's place at the head of the table, but any further formality ended there. Sean and Liv sat facing Dom and Billy across the table, and to his relief Dom had managed to secure a seat just to the head of the table, ensuring that he would have only one person seated next to him. Even so, he felt crowded, because that one person was Billy.

To Dom's eyes, the long dining table was supporting enough food for at least twenty people, but only five more people, the cowhands, sat at the other end of the table. There was room for five more men or even seven men in a squeeze, but the Double L was short handed. Only nine people were currently seated at the table built for fifteen. Then the outside door banged and a new cowhand called Astin rushed in and snagged the platter of pork chops before he had even sat down.  
"Where's Bernard?" Astin asked as he scanned his companions, slid into a chair and began forking vegetables onto his plate.  
"Garbage run," Billy said.  
Astin hesitated, looked around the table and said to Billy, "Serkis, huh?"  
Billy grunted.  
"Who gave him the good word?"

"I did."  
"How'd he take it?"  
"I didn't hear any complaining."  
Sean half strangled on laughter and coffee.  
"Something funny?" asked Astin, glancing at the faces of the other men.  
"Billy had Serkis laid out cold in six seconds flat," Sean said casually, reaching for the gravy."Poor bastard's probably still wondering what hit him."  
"Can't say as I'm sorry," Astin said. He dished a mountain of potatoes onto his plate before he turned and looked Billy over.”Not a mark on you. You must be as much of an outlaw as Bernard said you were. That Serkis did a lot of bragging about what a fighter he was. Talked about men he'd busted up so bad they'd pi—er, passed blood for months."  
Billy glanced at Dom then Liv before he gave the cowhand an icy look.”Astin why don't you just shovel food and leave the dinner conversation to Liv."

"Sorry Ma'am," Astin said to Liv sheepishly.

Dom hadn't noticed the looks he was receiving; he was grimly concentrating on his single pork chop, scant helping of potatoes, peas and no gravy. Despite his usual healthy appetite, his empty stomach, and the savory nature of Liv's cooking, Dom was having trouble swallowing. Even though none of the other men at the table were as big as Sean – and Viggo wasn't even in the dining room – he felt suffocated by looming, uncivilized, unpredictable males.  
"Mr. Monaghan,” Billy spoke,” Will be here for the summer working at the Arwen Canyon site." He glanced at Dom, who was at the moment subtly hitching his chair away from him and drawled, "That's right isn't it?"

Liv gave Billy a quick glance, caught by the unusual edge to his normally smooth voice. That was when she noticed what the cowhands had already seen - the gap that had slowly opened up between Dom's chair and the ramrod's.

"Actually,” Dom said,”My students call me Dr. Monaghan, and my friends call me Dom."

"What does your wife call you?" Billy asked blandly.

"I'm not married."

Billy would have been surprised by any other answer, a fact he didn't bother to conceal.

"Dr. Dominic Monaghan,” Billy continued,”Will be spending most of his time at the Arwen Canyon digs. In between times, he'll be living at the old house, which means you boys better clean up your acts. Voices carry real well from the bunkhouse to the old house. Likewise, anyone who has any issues with him will hear from me."

"And from me,” Viggo said, entering the room midway through Billy’s speech, he ruffled Liv’s hair, leaned down to press a kiss to her cheek then pulled out his chair and sat down. "Pass the pork chops please." He looked at Dom, saw the gap between his chair and Billy's and gave the ramrod a look that was both amused and questioning.”Didn't you have time to shower before dinner?"

The left corner of Billy's mouth lifted in wry acknowledgement, but he said nothing.

"When are you leaving?" Liv asked quickly, turning toward her brother. She didn't know why Dom kept edging further away from Billy, but guessed that he would be embarrassed if it were pointed out. By and large, the cowhands were kind men, but their humor was both blunt and unrelenting. She didn't miss the grateful look Dom flashed her way before he looked back down at his plate again.

"Right after we play poker tonight," Sean said.

"Poker," Liv groaned.  
"Sure, I thought I'd introduce Dr. Monaghan to the joys of seven card stud."

Smiling politely, Dom looked up from his plate.”Thanks, but I'm really tired. Maybe some other time."

The cowhands laughed as though he had made a joke.

"Guess they teach more than stones and bones at that fancy school," Sala said when the laughter ended.”Must teach some common sense, too."

Dom looked at Liv, who smiled.

"My brother is, er, well…" Liv's voice faded.

"Sean is damned lucky at cards," Billy said succinctly.”He'll clean you down to the lint in your pockets."

"It's true," said Liv, ”Anybody who has ever played cards with him calls him Cash."

"In fact," Viggo said, pouring gravy over mounds of food.”I'm one of the few men in living memory to ever beat Sean at poker."

Sean smiled slightly, and examined his dinner as though he expected it to get up and walk off the plate.

"Of course," Viggo continued,” Sean cheated."

Sean's head snapped up.

"He wanted Liv to spend the summer on the Double L," Viggo said matter of factly. ”So he suckered her into betting a summer's worth of cooking. Sean won, of course. Then he turned around and carefully lost his sister's whole summer to me." Viggo ran his fingertip from Liv's cheekbone to the corner of her smile before he turned to Sean and said quietly,” I never thanked you for giving Liv to me, but not a day goes by that I don't thank God."

Dom looked at the two big men and the woman who sat wholly at ease between them, smiling, her love for both of them as vivid as the blue of her eyes. The men's love for her was equally as obvious, almost tangible. An odd aching closed Dom's throat, making an already difficult dinner impossible to swallow.

"I hope you know how lucky you are,” Dom said to Liv.

His own nerves and emotional overload became too much for him, and without warning, Dom pushed back from the table and stood. "I'm afraid I'm too tired to do justice to dinner, Liv. If you'll excuse me, I'll make it an early night."

"Of course," Liv said.”If you're hungry later, just come in the back way and eat whatever looks good. Billy does it all the time."

"Thanks,” Dom said, already turning away, eager to be gone from the room full of men.

Nobody said a word until Dom had been gone long enough to be well beyond the range of their voices. Then Viggo turned, raised his eyebrows questioningly, and looked straight at Billy.

"Are you the burr under his saddle?"  
There was absolute silence as all the cowhands leaned forward to hear the answer to the question none of them had the nerve to ask.

"He saw me take down Serkis," Billy said.”Shocked him, I guess. Then I made him hold Nosy while I cut that boil. Now he thinks I'm a cross between Attila the Hun and Jack the Ripper."  
Viggo grunted.”Nice work by the way. Serkis, I mean. Nosy, too I suppose. Liv was worried about that fool kitten. Me, I think we have too darn many cats as it is."

Viggo caught the light, slow-motion blow Liv aimed at his shoulder. He brushed a kiss over her captive hand and said,”Honey, from now on, put Dom next to you at the table. If the skittish professor moves his chair any farther away from Billy, we'll have to serve his food in the kitchen."

The cowhands burst out laughing. For a few minutes the talk centered on the overly shy professor with the striking blue eyes and the oversized clothes. Then food began to disappear in earnest and conversation slowed. After dessert finished as well, so did the cowhands. Sean went upstairs to pack, leaving Billy, Viggo, and Liv alone to enjoy a final cup of coffee before the evening's work of kitchen cleanup and bookkeeping began.  
Billy rubbed his jaw thoughtfully, and was rewarded by the rasp of beard stubble. Unbidden came the thought, undoubtedly that, too, had counted against him with the wary professor. Which was too bad - it had been a long time since a man had interested him quite as much as the one with the frightened eyes and a body kept hidden that would tempt a saint.

"How do you want to divide up Serkis' work?" Viggo asked Billy.

"I can take the leased grazing lands over on the divide, but that leaves the Aragorn Canyon Springs without a hand."

"I'll take the grazing lands, and have Sala camp over at Aragorn Canyon during the week and weekends at Arwen Canyon."

"That will make for long days for you,” Billy said glancing quickly at Liv. He knew that Viggo had been trying to spend as much time as possible with his wife and new son.

"Your days will be even longer,” Viggo said.”Starting tomorrow, you're ramrodding the dig at Arwen Canyon."

"Astin can do it. He gets along with the university types real well. You'd never know it to listen to him, but he taught math in California before he took up ranch work."

"You'd never know it to listen to you either," retorted Viggo, ”But I happen to know a certain ramrod who speaks three languages, sings like a lark, and who still gets calls in the middle of the night from official types who want advice on how to get sticky jobs unstuck."

Billy said nothing. His expression was inscrutable as he waited for his friend and business partner to finish speaking.

"But they're just gonna have to wait in line," Viggo continued.”I've got all the trouble you can handle right in Arwen Canyon."

Without moving, Billy went fully alert. Viggo saw the change and smiled thinly.

"You expecting some kind of trouble at the site?" Billy asked.  
Viggo looked at Liv. ”Don't I hear Milo crying?" he asked.

"Why don't you go and check," Liv offered with a sweet smile.

The look Viggo gave Liv plainly said he wished she weren't listening to what he was about to say to Billy. She looked right back, plainly telling Viggo that she wasn't leaving without a good reason. Reluctantly he smiled, but when he turned to Billy, the smile faded.

"The Sheriff called," Viggo said.”There's a ring of pot hunters working the Four Corners. They dig during the week and avoid the weekends when there are more people in the back county. They're professional and they're tough."

"How tough?"

"They roughed up some folks over in Utah. The park service isn't making any noise about it, but the back country rangers are going armed these days. So are the pot hunters."  
"Want me to leave now for the site?" Billy asked.  
"No. One of the sheriff's men is camping out that way, unofficially, but he's got to be back on the road early tomorrow."  
Into the dining room came the clear sound of an unhappy baby. Liv put her hand on Viggo's shoulder, silently telling him not to get up.

"I'll leave before dawn,” Billy said, watching Liv hurry from the room.

"The professor won't like that."

"I'll be quiet,” Billy said dryly.

"Don't bother, he's going with you. That little Japanese rice burner of his won't get four miles up into the pasture, much less across the wash."  
Billy smiled rather wolfishly. "He's not going to like being trapped in a truck with me. Or are you sending Liv to ride shotgun?"

"Nope," Viggo said cheerfully. "She's got two fulltime jobs riding herd on me and the baby."

"That's the problem. We've all got too damn many full time jobs and not enough hands."

"I put the word out at every ranch for three hundred miles," Viggo said stretching his long arms over his head. "All we can do is wait. Harry Sinclair promised he'd start breaking horses as soon as his sister's husband is out of jail. Until then he's got to take care of her ranch."

“What's the husband in for? The usual?" Billy asked.

"Drunk and Disorderly."  
"The usual."

Viggo grunted agreement.

Billy rubbed his raspy chin thoughtfully. "David called. He's pulling out of Afghanistan. He'll be home in a few weeks."  
Viggo glanced sideways at Billy.”Is he still a renegade?"

"All of us are wild. It's the Highland Scots blood."

"Yeah. Outlaws to the bone. Like you. You don't make any noise about it, but you go your own way and to hell with what the rest of the world thinks."

Billy said only, ”A few years of guerilla warfare tends to settle down even the wildest kid."

"You should know."  
"Yes, I should know."

Viggo nodded and said softly.”Hire him."

Billy looked at Viggo. ”Thanks, I owe you one."

"No way, compadre. I should've been the one to shake the kinks out of Serkis, not you."

A slight smile crossed the Ramrod's face.”My pleasure."

Viggo looked thoughtful.”Does David fight the same way you do?"

"Wouldn't surprise me. He was taught by the same people."

"Good, he can trade off guarding Arwen Canyon with you." Viggo sighed and rubbed his neck wearily.”You know there are days I wish Liv had never found those damn ruins. It's costing us thousands of dollars a year in manpower alone, just to keep pot hunters out."

"We could do what some of the other ranchers have done?"

"What's that?"

"Sell some of the artifacts to pay for protecting the ruins."

"The Arwen Canyon ruins are on your part of the ranch," Viggo said, his face expressionless.”Is that what you want to do?"  
Billy shook his head. "I'll give the land back to you before I sell off artifacts. Or I'll give the land back to the government if neither one of us can afford to protect the ruins. My head knows that ninety eight percent of those artifacts aren't unique - universities and museums are full of Anasazi stuff as good or better. Once the excavation has been carefully done, there's no good reason not to get back the cost of the digging by selling off some of the stuff."

"But?" Viggo asked.  
Billy shrugged.”But my gut keeps telling me that those artifacts belong in the place where they were made and used and broken and mended and used again. It's pure foolishness, but that's how I feel about it, and as long as I can afford it, I plan on keeping my foolish ways."

Viggo looked at Billy and said quietly, ”If my drunken daddy had sold pieces of the Double L to anybody but you, I would have been in a world of hurt with no place to call home. Thank you."

Billy stood and clapped Viggo on the shoulder.”It was an even trade, compadre. Back then I was in a world of hurt and looking for a home."

"You've got the home. What about the hurt? Still have that?"

"I got over it a long time ago."

"Then why haven't you ever dated again?"

"A smart dog doesn't have to be taught the same lesson twice," Billy said sardonically.”I'm a hell of a lot smarter than a dog."

"He must have been a piece of fucking work."  
"Who?"  
"The asshole who did that to you."

Billy shrugged.”He was honest. That's better than most. The attraction never wore off, but he wanted more than I could give him. By then I was in too deep with no way to save myself from the fall I was about to take. I was hurting and looking to hurt. I shipped out the first chance I got."

"That was a long time ago. You were a wild kid, chasing guys who were no better than they had to be. You're different now. You know what you want and have the ability to take it."

Billy shook his head, his voice as bleak as the look in his eyes, ”You got lucky Vig, I didn't. You learned one thing about love and relationships. I learned another."

Without giving Viggo a chance to speak, Billy left the room. Behind him, Viggo sat motionless, listening to the sound of Billy's fading footsteps and the soft thump of a closing door.

~*~*~*~*~  
After dinner, Billy would normally return to his rooms in the bunk house, go over some paperwork while drinking a finger or two of whiskey, but tonight something had him on edge. The enigmatic young doctor forgoing his meal because Billy had made him uncomfortable was not acceptable. It didn’t take him long to decide what to do.  
After showering, dressed in loose fitting, worn jeans and a shirt the color of the midnight sky, his feet bare, Billy stopped briefly in the kitchen before setting off to mend fences with his new camping companion.

Making a brief stop over in the kitchen, he closed the door behind him quietly. Balancing a dinner plate bearing two large pieces of crispy, apple laden pie and a pitcher of fresh cow's milk, Billy knocked firmly on the door of the old ranch house. Patience wasn't his strong suit, so after several moments, he knocked again, more sharply this time. Gratified to hear movement inside, he stepped back from the outward swinging door and waited.

Soft, golden light framed Dom as the door opened. His chest was bare, his jeans hanging low enough for Billy to see the sharp curves of his hipbones. The sweater he had worn at dinner time was clutched in one hand, the other hand holding the screen door in a white knuckled grip as he watched Billy expectantly.  
Billy lifted the plate and pitcher and smiled.”You ran out without eating much, so I figured you might like a snack."

"That's kind of you,” Dom murmured, his voice sticking on the lump in his throat as he struggled to speak at all.”But-"

"I don't even have to come in,” Billy added.”It's a nice night; we can eat out here."

"I'm not sure-" Dom started to refuse the offer.  
"You're too thin," Billy interrupted. "Look. If I did something that made you uncomfortable and you missed your dinner, the least I can do is bring you dessert. If it'll make you more comfortable, I can just leave it here with you and go."

Dom was silent for a long moment, before he sighed and pushed the screen door open, squeezing through the gap.

Billy wasn't ready for the arc of white hot desire that shot through his body as moonlight and lamplight combined to glisten across Dom's golden skin. He hadn’t expected it and he shouldn’t welcome it. The worn, nearly white denim hung from his too lean hips more by luck than design, his bare feet poking out from under the flared, frayed fabric. Tousled, honey blonde hair hung in disarray over his downcast eyes, hiding his expression from Billy as he studied him carefully. "I'm sorry," Dom whispered.

"No need to be sorry." Billy shrugged, extending the pitcher for Dom to take.”That crowd can be scary for a first dinner." He smiled, and slipping his hand behind his back, Billy pulled two metal tumblers from his back pocket and rested them on the railing beside him. Reaching into his shirt pocket, he extracted two forks and extended one to Dom.”I don't know about you, but I cannot resist Liv's apple pie."

Billy settled himself on the top step and waited for Dom to follow suit, his own body relaxed as he dug into one of the slices of pie. Watching from the corner of his eye, he couldn't help but wonder what had frightened Dom so badly that his body was strung as taut as piano wire, his long, elegant fingers trembling as he struggled to pour the milk without spilling it.

Dom sat on the step beside Billy, his hip pressed as tightly against the edge of the staircase as he could, his fork and his sweater clutched in one hand as he extended a tumbler to Billy, the chilled liquid sloshing gently in his trembling fingers. As Billy took the tumbler, his fingers brushed lightly across Dom's. A sharp gasp hissed from his lips, and as if he had been struck by lightning, Dom retracted his hand, almost dropping the glass and shrugged further away from Billy.  
Billy took a deep breath as he watched Dom trying to calm his trembling. Reaching a decision, he put the plate on the step between them and stood.  
"This was a bad idea." He shook his head. "I'm sorry for whatever I did to frighten you so badly that you can't even bear the touch of my fingers on a glass. I'm sorry for that more than you would know. I'll leave you now, in peace."

Billy's bare feet had reached the bottom step before Dom spoke.

"Please don't go." Dom swallowed tightly "It's my fault. You're right, it is a lovely night and the pie does smell good." Dom shrugged and smiled sheepishly.”I am trying."

"I can see that." Billy smiled lightly, ”But I'm obviously the problem, so you enjoy your pie, and I'll see you in the morning."

"Please stay Billy,” Dom spoke softly.”It's not you exactly. Honestly, I am trying."  
Billy watched Dom carefully, observing his hand shaking as he tried to be casual and sip from his milk, gazing at Billy through upturned lashes. With a blinding moment of clarity, Billy realized what Dom's fear was. He didn't want to know the details, and certainly would never ask, but he was certain that the shy, sweet, vulnerable young man in front of him had been abused in one way or another in his past. From his skittish behavior, Billy would wager more than once.

Standing in front of Dom on the bottom step, he spoke softly, his accent rich and mellow, his tone soothing.”Would you feel more comfortable if I were to let you finish getting dressed?"

Dom looked up at him, his eyes wide, and nodded gently. "Yeah….Yeah I would."

Billy reached out, careful not to make contact with Dom's fingers and took the tumbler of milk from his hands. Turning, he gave Dom a moment of privacy to pull the sweater over his head, before at Dom's suggestion, he turned back again and handed him his milk.

Sitting back on the step beside Dom, he fitted himself into the corner by the banister and sat with his legs stretched out before him, crossed at the ankles. They shared a companionable silence, passing the plate back and forth, sipping at the chilled milk. There was no need for conversation between them. Billy happily allowed Dom to become accustomed to his proximity; Dom happily ate the pie, able for the first time in his memory to digest food while in close quarters with a man.

Billy watched Dom through his lashes as he picked the pie crust up and ate it slowly, licking the crystallized sugar off his fingers as he finished the last bite. The white-hot arrow of desire that surged through him caught him off guard.

"Good?" Billy asked softly, his accent thick, ignoring the flash of sensation the sight of Dom's long tongue licking at the sugar crystals caused.

'Mmmmm," Dom spoke softly.”I'd forgotten what a good cook Livvie is."

"She manages to keep a ranch full of rowdy cowboys well fed." Billy smiled as he reached up to lift the jug of milk from the railing, ignoring the way that Dom flinched as he leaned past him.  
Refreshing their tumblers, Billy leaned back against the banister, and slowly drank his milk.  
"Are you all ready to go out to Arwen Canyon tomorrow?" he asked.  
"All packed and waiting,” Dom said as he nodded.”It'll be good to get out there, I've missed the solitude of being on a dig site."

"I don't want to disappoint you," Billy stated softly.”But there won't be any solitude."

"Aren't the grad students only there on weekends?" Dom questioned, his teeth worrying his bottom lip.

"Aye." Billy nodded.”But I'm going with you tomorrow. And I assure you, I won't get in your way."

"But-" Dom started to refute Billy.

"It's Viggo's rule, Dom," Billy murmured.”It's a security issue, and if you can't obey his rules, he won't let you out there, simple as that."

Dom sighed and nodded silently, finishing his milk slowly. Billy sat beside him on the step, watching the long line of his neck as he swallowed, the play of muscles as arousing as everything else about the skittish young professor.

Billy pulled himself to his feet and stood on the bottom step. Leaning forward, he lifted the plate and forks and his own tumbler then accepted Dom's. Reaching out before he could help himself, Billy's small gentle hand cupped Dom cheek, closing his eyes, almost ashamed of adding to his fears as Dom flinched. Billy's thumb brushed stray crumbs of sugar from Dom's scruffy beard before he pulled back. "I'll see you in the morning, Professor."

Billy turned and walked back up the grassy path to the ranch house.  
Dom's eyes glazed with tears as he felt Billy's hand on his face. Closing them quickly, he steeled his nerves for the fight that he knew was coming. His long fingers clenched into fists, his nails digging crescents into his palms. His breath stuttered as he struggled to control his emotions for long enough to defend himself, then Dom felt Billy's hand lift from his cheek, and he released his breath in a whoosh of relief and despair.

Opening his eyes, Dom's brow furrowed as he watched Billy walking up the path to the main house. His own hand flew to his cheek to cover the warmth left by Billy's hand as he tried to analyze in his mind what just happened. Wasn't he desirable? Was Billy just toying with him? Men didn't perform intimate acts like that without expecting payback. Why did Billy just walk away?  
He sat on the step watching until Billy walked into the house and long after, his mind working furiously as he tried to understand the Double L's ramrod.

  



	6. Western Lovers: Cowboys and Archaeologists

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Billy is a man to be reckoned with. Can Dom heal his wounded soul and his own into the bargain. Could Billy make him forget the bitter lessons of the past?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> As many of you know, Western Lovers is my own particular labour of love, even though in the past it was ostensibly finished, there was always something missing for you the reader. I wanted to remedy that for you. At the end of this posting you will all know all of the Western Lovers family and all of their pasts and secrets. On behalf of all of them and me, I hope you enjoy their story as much as they do.

_  
**Fic Repost: Western Lovers Cowboys and Archeaologists (6/44)**   
_   
  
[   
](http://s265.photobucket.com/albums/ii203/sassypro365/?action=view&current=banforsas.jpg)

**Title:** Western Lovers: Cowboys and Archaeologists  
 **Author:**[](http://sassywitch.livejournal.com/profile)[ **sassywitch**](http://sassywitch.livejournal.com/)  
 **Beta** by the talented [](http://celtprincess13.livejournal.com/profile)[**celtprincess13**](http://celtprincess13.livejournal.com/)  
 **Pairing:** BB/DM  
 **Rating:** NC-17 for the series.  
 **Summary:** Billy is a man to be reckoned with. Can Dom heal his wounded soul and his own into the bargain. Could Billy make him forget the bitter lessons of the past?  
 **Feedback:** Feedback is my writers crack, which is not to be confused at all with plumbers crack.  
 **Acknowledgements:** There are so many people that have helped in the creation of the Double L and it’s families. Thank you to [](http://alassenya.livejournal.com/profile)[**alassenya**](http://alassenya.livejournal.com/) for everything, [](http://hisniblets.livejournal.com/profile)[**hisniblets**](http://hisniblets.livejournal.com/) for the dialect help, thanks for [](http://billyhasmyheart.livejournal.com/profile)[**billyhasmyheart**](http://billyhasmyheart.livejournal.com/) for all the research assistance particularly with the bike specs and to [](http://glasgowhobbit.livejournal.com/profile)[**glasgowhobbit**](http://glasgowhobbit.livejournal.com/) for the recipe help. [](http://celtprincess13.livejournal.com/profile)[**celtprincess13**](http://celtprincess13.livejournal.com/) brings you better grammar and punctuation than I ever could. Thank you all, The Double L wouldn’t be the same without any of you. **Disclaimer:** Not at all true in reality. These men whilst adorable and perfectly happy to slash themselves, their actual relationship is something that they only know. This story is adapted from a series of books that I adored when I was younger written by Elizabeth Lowell.  
 **Word Count:** 3330  
 **Previous Posting:** [Chapter1|](http://sassyfic.livejournal.com/30798.html)[Chapter2|](http://sassyfic.livejournal.com/31180.html)[Chapter3|](http://sassyfic.livejournal.com/31243.html)[Chapter4|](http://sassyfic.livejournal.com/31548.html)[Chapter5|](http://sassyfic.livejournal.com/31807.html)

  
 **Posted to:** [](http://fellowshippers.livejournal.com/profile)[**fellowshippers**](http://fellowshippers.livejournal.com/) , [](http://monaboyd.livejournal.com/profile)[**monaboyd**](http://monaboyd.livejournal.com/) and [](http://sassyfic.livejournal.com/profile)[**sassyfic**](http://sassyfic.livejournal.com/)  
 **Header Art:** Courtesy of the incredibly talented [](http://loki-girl.livejournal.com/profile)[**loki_girl**](http://loki-girl.livejournal.com/).  
 **Authors Notes:** As many of you know, Western Lovers is my own particular labour of love, even though in the past it was ostensibly finished, there was always something missing for you the reader. I wanted to remedy that for you. At the end of this posting you will all know all of the Western Lovers family and all of their pasts and secrets. On behalf of all of them and me, I hope you enjoy their story as much as they do.

 **Posted to:** [](http://fellowshippers.livejournal.com/profile)[**fellowshippers**](http://fellowshippers.livejournal.com/) , [](http://monaboyd.livejournal.com/profile)[**monaboyd**](http://monaboyd.livejournal.com/) and [](http://sassyfic.livejournal.com/profile)[**sassyfic**](http://sassyfic.livejournal.com/)  
 **Header Art:** Courtesy of the incredibly talented [](http://loki-girl.livejournal.com/profile)[**loki_girl**](http://loki-girl.livejournal.com/).  
 **Authors Notes:** As many of you know, Western Lovers is my own particular labour of love, even though in the past it was ostensibly finished, there was always something missing for you the reader. I wanted to remedy that for you. At the end of this posting you will all know all of the Western Lovers family and all of their pasts and secrets. On behalf of all of them and me, I hope you enjoy their story as much as they do.

  
Billy had been as good as his word. At 4.45am he parked the ruggedly sturdy truck bearing the Double L brand at the base of Dominic’s stairs. The open tray was laden with boxes and several coolers all covered with a khaki tarpaulin, tied down with thick rope.

Dominic was waiting on the top step, his booted foot tapping nervously. He had barely slept, his nerves overruling all other senses until an ingrained flee or fight mentality had taken hold. As the truck had drawn to a halt and Billy swung the door open from the inside, Dom had taken a deep breath and stood. Lifting his pack by the shoulder straps he swung it into the bed of the truck and climbed into the cab.

Perching on the edge of the seat, Dom fastened his seat belt and scrunched himself closer to the door, the wide expanse of the bench seat stretching between them.

“Good to go?” Billy asked, unable to hide the slight curl of amusement on his lips at Dom’s attempt at distancing himself.

Dom nodded nervously, afraid to open his mouth for fear of refuting his answer.

“Coffee is there if you want.” Billy gestured at the thermos in a holder on the floor, before he put the truck in gear and their journey commenced.  
~*~*~*~*~

For the next hour, Billy carried on a virtual monologue. Every question asked was met with a one word answer, every statement met with a grunt. Dom couldn’t have made his displeasure at being forced to share his space with Billy any clearer. For the hour after that, a shroud of silence hung like an uncomfortable pall over the cab, until Billy could stand it no more.

"Stop it. You're making me feel like the Marquis de Sade."

Startled, Dom turned toward him.”What?"

"Don't worry, I'm not talking about the way you hug the door handle as though it were your last hope of safety,” Billy spoke, giving Dom a sideways glance.

A flush crawled up Dom's cheeks. He looked down and saw that he was all but sitting on the door handle in order to get as much distance between himself and Billy as possible.

"I-it's nothing personal,” he said, his voice strained.  
"Like hell it isn't,” Billy said calmly, his tone as measured as it had been with Nosy.  
”But that's not what made me feel like a sadist. It's the way you look at all those canyons that's getting to me. It's the way a starving man looks at food, or a thirsty man looks at water, or Viggo looks at Liv when they sit in the rocking chair while she nurses Milo. If it will make you feel any better, we can stop and get closer to whatever it is you love so much. Which, as a happy coincidence, will garner you distance from the thing you hate with equal passion."

Billy been unexpected from the first moment Dom had seen him. The longer he was around Billy the more unexpected he became. Besides, something about Billy’s obvious knowledge of his discomfort pained him.

"That's very kind of you, Mr. Boyd, but I'm afraid looking won't make me feel much better."

Clear green eyes glanced briefly at Dom, then resumed watching the rough road.  
"What would make you feel better, Professor?"

"Being called something else, Ramrod," he shot back before he could think better of it.

The corner of Billy's mouth tugged up. "I'm not much on formality. Call me Billy."

Dom started to reciprocate, then stopped, afraid that Billy would mistake politeness for an entirely different sort of offer.

Billy shot Dom another quick glance.”Go ahead, I won't take it as a come on."

"I beg your pardon?"

"Go ahead and ask me to call you Dominic. I'll assume you're being polite, not looking for a little action."

"Let me assure you, I'm not looking for a little action."

"I figured that from the first time I saw you. So uncramp your hand from the door handle and tell me why you're looking at the countryside like you're saying goodbye to your only friend."

"Are you always this direct?"

"Yes. Are you always this nervous around men, or is it me in particular?"

"Does it matter?"

"If I'm the one setting your teeth on edge, I'll get out of your hair as soon as possible,” Billy said matter-of-factly. ”If it's just men in general you don't like, it won't matter who's on site with you."

Dom was silent.

"Well, that tells me,” Billy said shrugging.”As soon as David arrives, I'll turn Arwen Canyon over to him."

"It's. Not. You.” Dom said, forcing out each word.

"Did anyone ever mention that you don't lie worth a damn? You've been terrified of me since I came over that corral fence and taught Serkis what his horse already knew - in a fight, smart goes farther than big."

Dom closed his eyes, seeing again the blows landing too quickly to be believed. "Fast? Strong and lethal count, too. Serkis never had a chance, did he?"

"Only a fool, a horse, or a naive man would give a man like Serkis a chance."

"Are you calling me a fool?"

"Nope. I'm not calling you horse, either."

Dom made a strangled sound that was close to laughter, surprising himself.

A quick sideways glance told Billy that Dom's grip on the door handle had eased. It also told him that Dom's eyes were an even deeper, smokier blue than he had thought, and that the curve of his mouth was made to be traced by his tongue.

The shadow of another small canyon opening up off the road caught Dom's attention. The hint of laughter that had curved his mouth faded, leaving behind a yearning line.

"What is it that you see?" Billy asked softly, his brogue sweeping over Dom as gently as a whisper. Something in Billy’s voice drew Dom deeper into the past, to a time of rolling green hills and a different people fighting for their right to live in their own home land. Somehow Billy understood.

The words slid past Dom's reflexive defenses and touched the one thing he permitted himself to love, the Anasazi homeland with its mixture of mountains and mesas and canyons, sandstone and shale, its violent summer storms and massive silence that made him feel as though time itself flowed through the ancient canyons.  
“Please tell me, Dom?”

"That canyon off to the right," Dom said, pointing to a place where a crease opened up at the base of a mesa. "Does it have a name?"

"Not that I know of."

"That's what I thought. There are hundreds of canyons like it on the Colorado Plateau. Thousands, and in each one, it would be unusual to walk more than a mile along the mesa top or the canyon bottom without finding some legacy of the Anasazi, such as broken pots or masonry or ruined stone walls."

Billy made a startled sound and glanced quickly at Dom.

"It's true," Dom said, turning to face Billy. "The Colorado plateau is one of the richest archaeological areas of the world. Some experts say that there are a hundred archaeological sites per square mile. Others say a hundred and twenty sites. Naturally, all of the sites aren't important enough to excavate, but the sheer number of them is amazing. For instance, in Montezuma County alone, there are probably one hundred thousand archaeological sites."

Billy whistled through his teeth. The boyish gesture both startled and intrigued Dom, for it was so much at odds with the fierce man who had fought Serkis and the quiet man who had treated a sick kitten with such care.

"How many Anasazi lived around here anyway?" Billy asked.

"Here? I don't know. But over in Montezuma Valley, there were about thirty thousand people. That's greater than the population today. It's the same for the rest of the plateau. At the height of the culture, the land supported more people than it does today with our technology."

"And up every nameless canyon,” Dom continued, his voice husky with emotion,” There's a chance of finding the one extraordinary ruin that will explain why the Anasazi culture thrived in this area for more than ten centuries then simply vanished without warning, as though the people picked up in the middle of a meal and left, taking nothing with them."

"That's what you're looking for? The answer to an old mystery?"

Dom nodded.

"Why?"

The question startled Dom.”What do you mean?"

"What is it you really want?" Billy asked, unable even after more than a decade to hide the animosity in his voice.”Glory? Wealth? A tenured job at an eastern university? Classrooms full of students who think you're smarter than God?"

"Is it academia in general you dislike or me in particular?"  
Billy heard the echo of his own previous question and smiled to himself. "I don't know you well enough to dislike you. I'm just curious."

"So am I," Dom said tightly.”That's why I want to know about the Anasazi. Their abrupt disappearance from the cliff houses at the height of their cultural success is as big a mystery as what really caused the extinction of dinosaurs."

Dom glanced covertly at Billy. Though he was watching the rough difficult road, Dom sensed that he was listening closely to his words. Despite his usual reticence on the subject of himself, there was something about Billy that made him want to keep talking, if only to give him a better opinion of him than he obviously had. Not that Dom could really blame him for being cool towards him, as he had done everything but crawl under the table to avoid him at dinner.

The contrasts and contradictions of this man called Billy Boyd both intrigued and irritated Dom. A man who could fight with such savage efficiency shouldn't care about sick kittens. A man who could handle the demands of the big truck and the rotten condition of the road with such effortless skill shouldn't be so interested in something as abstract and intangible as the vanished Anasazi, yet he had shown obvious interest every time the subject had come up.

But most of all, a man who was so abrasively masculine shouldn't be perceptive enough to notice Dom's silent yearning after unexplored canyons. Nor should Dom be noticing right now the clean line of his profile, the high forehead and thick, faintly curling pelt of golden, ginger hair, the luxuriant eyebrows and crystal, emerald clarity of his eyes, or the subdued sensuality of his mouth.

The direction of Dom's thoughts made him distinctly uneasy. He turned and looked out the window again, yet it was impossible for him to go back to the silences of the previous hours in the truck when he had tried to shut out the presence of everything except the land.

"As for the prestige or a tenured teaching position," Dom continued looking out the window,” I'm not a great candidate for any university, especially an eastern one. I love the Colorado plateau country too much to live anywhere else. I stand in front of classrooms full of students – worshipful or otherwise - because teaching is a means to an end. It gives me the money and time to explore the Anasazi culture in the very places where the ancient ones once lived, and then make what I've seen and learned come alive in drawings."

"You're an artist?"

Short, golden brown hair rippled and shone in the sun as Dom shook his head in silent negative.”At best I'm an illustrator. I take the site photographers pictures, read the archaeological summaries of the site and study the artifacts that have been excavated. Then I combine everything with my own knowledge of the Anasazi and make a series of drawings of the site as it probably looked when it was inhabited."

"Sounds like more than illustration to me."

"I assure you, it's less than art. My mother is an artist, so I know the difference."

"Do your parents live in Colorado?"

"My mother lives in Manchester."

Normally, Billy would have let the matter of parents drop, especially since Dom's voice had planted warning flags around the subject, but his curiosity about Dominic Monaghan wasn't normal. He showed flashes of passion coupled with unusual reserve. And it was reserve rather than shyness. Billy had known more than a few shy cowboys. Not one of them would have been able to get up in front of a room full of people and say a single word, much less teach a whole course.

Dom wasn't shy of people. He was shy of men. Billy had almost immediately figured out that Dom didn't care much for the male half of the human race. What he hadn't figured out was why.

"What about your father?" Billy asked.

"What about him?"

Though Dom's voice was casual, Billy noted the subtle tightening of his body. Bullseye.

"Where does he live?" Billy asked.

"I don't know."

"Is he why you don't like men?"

"Frankly, it's none of your business."

"Of course it is. I'm a man."

"Mr. Boyd."

"Billy,” he interrupted.

"Whether I hate or love men is irrelevant to you or any other man I meet."

"I'll agree about the other men, but not me."

"Why?"

"I'm the man you're going to spend the next five days alone with."

"What?" Dom exclaimed, staring at Billy.

"One of the grad students broke his ankle climbing a canyon wall," Billy said. Without pausing in his explanations, he whipped the truck around a washout on one side of the road and then a landslide ten yards further down. "Another one got a job in Illinois, working on Indian mounds. The other three can come out only on the weekends, because they work during the week."

"So?"

"So I'm staying at the Arwen Canyon site with you."

"That's not necessary. I've been alone at remote digs before."

"Not on the Double L, you haven't. There will be an armed guard on the site at all times." Without altering his tone at all, Billy added ,”Hang on, this will get greasy."

The relaxed lines on Billy's body didn't change as he held the truck on a slippery segment of road where sandstone gave way to thin layers of shale that were so loosely bonded they washed away in even a gentle rain. During the summer season of cloudbursts, the parts of the road that crossed shale formations became impassable for hours or days. Nor was the sandstone itself any treat for driving. Wet sandstone was surprisingly slick.

"There are professional pothunters in the area,” Billy continued.”They've worked over a lot of sites. If someone objects, they work them over, too. Viggo and I decided that no one goes to Arwen Canyon without an armed guard."

"Why wasn't I told this before I was hired?" Dom asked tightly.

"Because the sheriff didn't tell us until last night."

“Viggo’s phone call.” Dom breathed

“Who said city types weren't perceptive.”

Dom said something beneath his breath.

Billy glanced sideways at him. "If you can't handle it, tell me now. We'll be back at the ranch in time for dinner."

Dom said nothing, still trying to cope with his seething feelings at the thought of being alone with Billy on a remote canyon for five days.

"If I thought it would do any good," Billy said,” I'd give you my word that I won't touch you. But you don't know me well enough to believe me, so there's not much point making any promises, is there."

Dom didn't answer.

Without warning, Billy brought the truck to a stop in the centre of a wide spot in the road. He set the brake and turned to face his unhappy passenger.

"What will it be?" he asked.” Arwen Canyon, or back to the ranch house?"

Almost wildly, Dom glanced around the countryside. He had been so excited when Liv had offered employment for the summer. The salary was minimal, but the opportunity to study newly discovered ruins was unparalleled.

And now it was vanishing like rain in the desert.

Dom looked at Billy. Part of him was frankly terrified at the prospect of being alone with him for days on end. Part of him was not - and in some ways, that was the most terrifying of all.

Shutting out everything, Dom closed his eyes. What am I going to do.  
The image of Billy's powerful hands holding the kitten with such care entered Dom's mind.  
 _Surely Liv wouldn't send me out here alone with a man she didn't trust._ After that thought came another. _My father was never that gentle with anything. Nor was Ethan._

The ingrained habit of years made Dom's mind veer away from the bleak night when he had learned once and forever to distrust men and his own judgment. Yet he had been luckier than many of the victims he had spoken to when he had volunteered at the crisis centre. Dom's scars were all on the inside.

Unbidden came a thought that made Dom tremble with a tangle of emotions he refused to name, and a question he shouldn't ask, even in the silence of his own mind.  
Would Billy be as gentle with him as he was with that kitten?  



	7. Western Lovers: Cowboys and Archaeologists

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Billy is a man to be reckoned with. Can Dom heal his wounded soul and his own into the bargain. Could Billy make him forget the bitter lessons of the past?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> As many of you know, Western Lovers is my own particular labour of love, even though in the past it was ostensibly finished, there was always something missing for you the reader. I wanted to remedy that for you. At the end of this posting you will all know all of the Western Lovers family and all of their pasts and secrets. On behalf of all of them and me, I hope you enjoy their story as much as they do.

_  
**FIC REPOST: Western Lovers: Cowboys & Archaeologists (7/44)**   
_   
  
[   
](http://s265.photobucket.com/albums/ii203/sassypro365/?action=view&current=banforsas.jpg)

**Title:** Western Lovers: Cowboys and Archaeologists  
 **Author:**[](http://sassywitch.livejournal.com/profile)[ **sassywitch**](http://sassywitch.livejournal.com/)  
 **Beta** by the talented [](http://celtprincess13.livejournal.com/profile)[**celtprincess13**](http://celtprincess13.livejournal.com/)  
 **Pairing:** BB/DM  
 **Rating:** NC-17 for the series.  
 **Summary:** Billy is a man to be reckoned with. Can Dom heal his wounded soul and his own into the bargain. Could Billy make him forget the bitter lessons of the past?  
 **Feedback:** Feedback is my writers crack, which is not to be confused at all with plumbers crack.  
 **Acknowledgements:** There are so many people that have helped in the creation of the Double L and it’s families. Thank you to [](http://alassenya.livejournal.com/profile)[**alassenya**](http://alassenya.livejournal.com/) for everything, [](http://hisniblets.livejournal.com/profile)[**hisniblets**](http://hisniblets.livejournal.com/) for the dialect help, thanks for [](http://billyhasmyheart.livejournal.com/profile)[**billyhasmyheart**](http://billyhasmyheart.livejournal.com/) for all the research assistance particularly with the bike specs and to [](http://glasgowhobbit.livejournal.com/profile)[**glasgowhobbit**](http://glasgowhobbit.livejournal.com/) for the recipe help. [](http://celtprincess13.livejournal.com/profile)[**celtprincess13**](http://celtprincess13.livejournal.com/) brings you better grammar and punctuation than I ever could. Thank you all, The Double L wouldn’t be the same without any of you. **Disclaimer:** Not at all true in reality. These men whilst adorable and perfectly happy to slash themselves, their actual relationship is something that they only know. This story is adapted from a series of books that I adored when I was younger written by Elizabeth Lowell.  
 **Word Count:** 3163  
 **Previous Posting:** [Chapter1|](http://sassyfic.livejournal.com/30798.html)[Chapter2|](http://sassyfic.livejournal.com/31180.html)[Chapter3|](http://sassyfic.livejournal.com/31243.html)[Chapter4|](http://sassyfic.livejournal.com/31548.html)[Chapter 5|](http://sassyfic.livejournal.com/31807.html)[Chapter 6|](http://sassyfic.livejournal.com/32095.html)

 **Posted to:** [](http://fellowshippers.livejournal.com/profile)[**fellowshippers**](http://fellowshippers.livejournal.com/) , [](http://monaboyd.livejournal.com/profile)[**monaboyd**](http://monaboyd.livejournal.com/) and [](http://sassyfic.livejournal.com/profile)[**sassyfic**](http://sassyfic.livejournal.com/)  
 **Header Art:** Courtesy of the incredibly talented [](http://loki-girl.livejournal.com/profile)[**loki_girl**](http://loki-girl.livejournal.com/).  
 **Authors Notes:** As many of you know, Western Lovers is my own particular labour of love, even though in the past it was ostensibly finished, there was always something missing for you the reader. I wanted to remedy that for you. At the end of this posting you will all know all of the Western Lovers family and all of their pasts and secrets. On behalf of all of them and me, I hope you enjoy their story as much as they do.

  
Billy sat and watched the emotions fighting within Dom: anger, fear, hope, confusion, curiosity, longing. The extent of Dom's reluctance to go on to Arwen Canyon surprised him. He had glimpsed the depth of Dom's passion for the Anasazi, and if he were considering turning and walking away from Arwen Canyon, he must be in the grip of a fear that was very real to him, despite the fact that Billy knew of no reason for that fear. While most people might have been initially uneasy at spending time alone with a stranger in a remote place, their instinctive wariness would have been balanced by the knowledge that their unexpected companion was a man who had the deepest respect and trust of the people he lived among.

That fact, however, didn't seem to make much difference to Dom.

"Can you talk about it?" Billy asked finally.

"What?"

"Why you're afraid of men. Is it your father?"

Dom looked at Billy's searching, intent eyes, sensing the intelligence and the strength of will in him, reaching out to him, asking Dom to trust him.  
Abruptly, Dom felt hemmed in, required to do something for which he was unprepared.

"Stop hounding me," Dom said through clenched teeth "You have no right to my secrets any more than any man has a right to my body!"

For an instant there was an electric silence stretching tightly between Billy and Dom, and then Billy turned away to look out over the land. His seething anger at the man who had caused his young companion such pain was hard to bring under control, but he didn’t want Dom to see the boiling rage and mistake its direction. The silence lengthened until the idling of the truck's engine was as loud as thunder. When Billy finally turned back toward Dom, his face was expressionless, his eyes hooded and his voice held none of the mixture of emotions it had before.

"In an hour or less, those clouds will get together and rain very hard. Then Elf Wash will become impassable, for hours or for days, no-one can ever tell. Anyone who is at the Arwen Canyon site will be forced to stay there for the duration. Which will it be, Dr. Monaghan? Forward to the dig, or back to the ranch?" Billy's voice was even, uninflected, polite. It was like having a stranger ask for the time of day.

Bitterly, Dom reminded himself that Billy was a stranger, yet somehow he hadn't seemed like one until just now. From the moment Billy had held out the injured kitten to Dom, Billy had treated him as though he were an old friend, newly discovered. Dom hadn't even realized the….warmth….of his presence until it had been withdrawn.

Now despite years of shrinking away from human touch, Dom had an absurd impulse to reach out and touch Billy, to protest the appearance of the handsome, self-contained stranger who waited for his answer with cool attention, Billy's whole attitude telling him that whether Dom chose to go forward or back made no personal difference to him.

"Arwen Canyon," Dom said after a minute. Although he had tried, Dom's voice wasn't as controlled as Billy's had been.

Billy took off the brake and resumed driving. Eventually the silence, which Dom had welcomed before, began to eat at his nerves. Dom looked out the window, but found himself glancing again and again toward Billy. He told himself that it was only Billy's casual skill with the truck that fascinated Dom, that he had done enough rough-country travel in the past to admire Billy's expertise. And it was Billy's expertise that he was admiring, not the subtle flex and play of his strong, muscular biceps beneath the faded green work shirt he wore.

"You're a very good driver," Dom said

Billy nodded indifferently.

Silence returned and lengthened, filling the cab until Dom rolled down the window just to hear the whistle of the wind, telling himself the lack of conversation didn't bother him. After all, he had been the one to resist talking during the long hours since dawn. When Billy had pointed out something along the road or asked about his work, Dom had nodded or answered briefly, but had had no questions of his own to offer.

But now that he thought about it, Dom had a perfect right to ask a few business-like questions of Billy and get a few business-like answers in return. "Will it distract you to talk?" Dom asked finally.

"No."

Brief and to the point. Very business-like. Irritating, too. Silently, Dom asked himself if his earlier, brief, impersonal answers had seemed so cool and clipped to Billy.

"I didn't mean to be rude earlier," he said.

"You weren't."

Dom waited, but Billy said nothing more.  
"How much farther is it to Arwen Canyon?" Dom asked after a few minutes.

"An hour."

Dom looked up toward the mesa top where the pinion and juniper and cedar grew, punctuated by pointed sprays of yucca plants. The clouds had become a solid mass, whose bottom was a blue color, so deep it was nearly black.

"Looks like rain," Dom said. _Great thinking,_ he berated himself, _talk about the weather that will catch his interest for sure._

Billy nodded.

More silence, more bumps, more growling sounds from the laboring four-wheel-drive truck.

"Why is it called Elf Wash?" Dom asked in a combination of irritation and determination.

"There are pictographs on the cliffs."

 _Six whole words. Incredible._ "Anasazi?" Dom asked.

Billy shrugged.

"Did other Indians live here when the white man came?" Dom asked, knowing very well that they had.

Not taking his eyes off the road, Billy nodded.

"Mountain Utes?" Dom asked again, knowing the answer.

"Yes," Billy said as he swerved around a mass of shale that had extended a slippery tongue onto the roadway.

Dom hardly noticed the evasive maneuver. He was intent on drawing out the suddenly laconic Billy. The road, the weather, the truck all faded into unimportance, the return of conversation was his sole focus. Obviously that would require a question that couldn't be answered by yes, no or a shrug. Inspiration came.

"Why are you called Billy?"

"I was the oldest."

"I don't understand."

"Neither did any of my Dads."

Dom gave up the word game and concentrated on the land.

The truck kicked and twitched and skidded around a series of steep, uphill curves, climbing up a mesa spur and onto the top, and then there was a long, reasonably straight run across the spur. Pinion and juniper whipped by, interspersed with a handful of big sage and other drought-adapted shrubs.

Abruptly there was an opening in the pinion and juniper. Though the ground looked no different, big sagebrush grew head high and higher. Their silver gray, twisting branches were thicker than a strong man's arm.

"Stop!" Dom said urgently, reaching across to close his hand around Billy's forearm. His need to get out of the truck negated his fear and his fingers closed around the warm flexing muscles of Billy’s forearm tightly.

Immediately, the truck shuddered to a halt. Before the pebbles scattered by the tires finished rolling, Dom had his seat belt off and was jumping down from the cab.

"What's wrong?" Billy asked, climbing out of the truck. He grabbed the shotgun that hung in the back window and followed Dom at a run, his eyes scanning for any signs of impending danger.

Dom didn't answer. Watching the ground with intent, narrowed eyes, he quartered the stand of big sage, twisting and turning, zigzagging across the open areas in the manner of someone searching for something. So involved was he in his quest, Dom didn't seem to notice the scrapes and scratches the rough brush delivered to his unprotected arms.

Billy hesitated at the edge of the road, wondering if Dom was looking for a little privacy. It had been a long drive from the ranch, and there were no amenities such as gas stations or public restrooms along the way. Yet Dom seemed more interested in the open areas between clumps of big sage than in the thicker growths that would have offered more privacy. Billy cradled the weapon in his arms, and assured of no readily visible threat, watched Dom’s frantic pursuit.

Without warning, Dom went to his knees and began digging hurriedly in the rocky ground. Billy started toward him, ignoring the slap and drag of brush over his clothes, and when he was within ten feet of Dom, Dom gave a cry of triumph and lifted a squarish rock in both hands. Dirt clung to the edges and dappled light fell across the stone's surface, camouflaging its oddly regular shape.

"Look," Dom cried, holding up his prize to Billy, forgetting his fear, his past, everything except his joy in the object in his hands

Billy eased forward until he was close to Dom, ducked a branch that had been going after his eyes, straightened and looked.

"A stone," Billy said neutrally.

Dom didn't notice his lack of enthusiasm. He had enough for both of them, and the truck as well. Nor did Dom notice the dirty streaks left on his jeans when he rubbed the rock back and forth, cleaning the part of the stone that had been buried beneath the dirt. After a few moments, Dom held the rock in a patch of sunlight coming through the open branches of the sage.

"Beautiful." He crooned, running his fingertips delicately along the stone, absorbing the subtle variations in the surface, marks that were the result of applied intelligence, rather than random weathering. "Just…. beautiful."

The throaty timbre of Dom's voice lured Billy as no stone could have. Sinking down, Billy sat on his heels next to Dom and looked closely at the rock that he was continuing to stroke as if it were alive.

The contours of the stone were too even, its edges too angular to be the result of chance. When the light touched the rock just right, tiny dimples could be seen, marks left by countless, patient blows from a stone axe held in the hands of an Anasazi stone mason. Seeing those tangible marks of a long dead man made the skin on Billy's skull tighten in a primal reflex that was far older than the civilized artifact Dom was cherishing in his hands.

Without realizing it, Billy stretched out his own hand, feeling a need to confirm the stone's reality through touch. The rock had the texture of medium sandpaper. The dimples were shallow, more a vague pattern than true pockmarks. Cold from the ground on one end, sun warmed on the other, bearing the marks of man all over its' surface, the stone was enduring testimony to a culture that was known only by the fragmentary ruins. As Billy's fingers brushed over Dom's on the stone, he spoke. "How did you know this was here?"

"No juniper or pinion," Dom said absently as he turned the relic over and over in his hands, not even noticing the subtle caresses when Billy fingers touched his.

Glancing around, Billy realized that Dom was right. Despite the luxuriant growth of big sage on the ground, there were no junipers or pinions for fifty yards in either direction.

"They don't grow on ground that's been disturbed," Dom continued, measuring the area of the big sage with his eyes. "When you see a place like this, there's a very good chance Anasazi ruins lie beneath the surface, covered by the debris of time and wind and rain."

Green eyes narrowed while Billy silently reviewed his knowledge of the surrounding countryside. "There are a lot of patches of big sage on Aragorn Mesa," he said after a minute of dawning recognition of the depth of history that surrounded them. "My God, there must be hundreds of places like this on both sides of Elf Wash. That, and the presence of year round water, is why the Mortensen's brought rights to this land more than a century ago."

"It was the water and the presence of game that attracted the ancient ones a thousand years ago. Human needs never change. All that changes is how we express those needs." Dom spoke almost to himself.

With the care of a mother returning a baby to its cradle, Dom replaced the rock in its hollow and smoothed the dirt back in place.

"That's what is so exciting about the whole area of Aragorn Mesa," Dom said as he worked. "For a long time we believed that the Aragorn River was the farthest northern reach of the Anasazi in this state. Arwen Canyon proved we were wrong."

"Not all that wrong," Billy said dryly "You talk as thought we're a hundred miles from the river. We're not. It just seems like it."

Absently, Dom nodded, and when he stood up, he was quite close to Billy, but he didn't even notice. His attention was on the area defined by the silvery, big sage, and he was looking at his surroundings with an almost tangible hunger. Billy suddenly realized how much he wished that Dom would look at him like that.

"This could have been a field tended by a family and watered by spreader dams and ditches built by the Anasazi," Dom said. "Or it could have been a small community built near a source of good water and food. It could have been the Anasazi equivalent of a church or a convent or a men's club. It could have been so many things….and I doubt if we'll ever know exactly what."

"Why not?" Billy's thoughts were focused on Dom's words again, instead of the intoxicatingly elegant sweep of Dom's fingers as they brushed against his thighs.

Dom turned and focused on Billy with blue eyes that were as dark and as deep as the storm descending across the western sky. "This is Double L land," Dom said simply. "Private land. Viggo is already bearing the cost of excavating and protecting Arwen Canyon. I doubt that he can afford to make a habit of that kind of generosity."

"Viggo's partner is absorbing the cost, but you're right. Ranching doesn't pay worth a damn as it is. The cost of protecting the whole of Aragorn Mesa…." Billy lifted his Stetson and resettled it with a jerk. "We'd do it if we could, but we can't. It would bankrupt us."

The sad understanding in Dom's smile said more about regret and acceptance than any words could have.

"Even the government can't afford it,” Dom agreed, rubbing his hands absently on his jeans "It doesn't matter which level you appeal to. Even at Mesa Verde, archaeologists have uncovered ruins, measured them, then backfilled them with dirt. It was the only way to protect them from wind, rain, and pothunters."

Billy looked around the rugged mesa top and said quietly, "Maybe that's best. Whatever is beneath the earth has been buried for centuries. A few more centuries won't make any difference."

"Here, probably not," Dom said, gesturing to the big sage. "But on the cliffs or the edges of the mesa, the ruins that aren't buried are disintegrating or being dismantled by pot hunters. That's why the work in Arwen Canyon is so important. What we don't learn from it now probably won't be available to learn later. The ruins will have been picked over, packed up, and shipped out to private collections all over the world."

The passion and regret in Dom's voice riveted Billy, and he was reaching out to touch Dom, to hold him in silent comfort when he caught himself. A touch from a man he feared would hardly be a comfort.

"Don't sell this countryside short when it comes to protecting its own," Billy said. "The big sage may be a giveaway on Aragorn Mesa, but this is a damned inconvenient place to get to."

Slowly, almost unwillingly, Dom focused on Billy, sensing his desire to comfort him as clearly as the kitten had sensed its safety within Billy's hands, oddly disappointed that he withdrew the intention before he touched him.

"As for the scores of little canyons that might hold cliff ruins," Billy said watching Dom, sensing the soft, uncurling of his tightly held trust. "Most of those canyons haven't seen a man since the Anasazi left. Any man. What's hidden, stays hidden out here."

Billy’s brogue, with its subtle velvet rasp, swirled around Dom, holding him still, even as it caressed him. He stared at the clear depths of Billy's eyes, and felt a curious mix of hunger and wariness, yearning and ….familiarity.

"And if some of those ruins are never found, is that so bad?" Billy asked softly. He spoke slowly, watching Dom's eyes, trying to explain something he had never put into words, even for himself. "Like the Anasazi, the ruins came from time and the land. It's only right that some of them return to their beginning, untouched by any but Anasazi hands."

A throaty muttering of thunder rode the freshening wind. The sound seeped into Dom's awareness, bringing with it a dizzying feeling of déjà vu, of overlapping realities, of time, like a deck of cards being reshuffled, and the sound of that shuffling was muted thunder. His breathing slowed and then stopped as an eerie certainty condensed with him. He had known Billy before, had stood on a mesa top with him before, had walked with him through the pinion and sun and silence, had slept next to his warmth while lightening and rain renewed the land.  
The feeling passed, leaving Dom shaken, disoriented, staring at a man that should've been a stranger and was not. Thunder came again, closer, insistent. He took a deep breath, infusing himself with the elemental, unforgettable pungency of sage and pinion, juniper and storm coming down.

Closing his eyes, Dom breathed deeply, filling himself with the storm wind, feeling it touch parts of him that had been curled shut tightly for too many years. The sensation of freedom and vulnerability that followed was frightening and exhilarating at the same time, like swimming nude in a midnight lake.

"Storm coming, " Billy said, his voice thick and roughly accented, looking away from Dom because if he watched him drink in the wind any longer he wouldn't be able to stop himself touching the younger man. "If we're going to cross Elf Wash, we have to hurry. Unless you've changed your mind?"

Dom's eyes opened, and he saw a powerful man standing motionless, silhouetted against sunlight and thunderheads, his head turned away from him. Then Billy looked back at Dom, and his eyes were like cut emeralds against his pale face.

"Dom?"

The sound of his name rolling so breathily on Billy's lips made sensation glitter through Dom's body from breastbone to knees, an awakening awareness he hadn't felt in years.

"Yes," he said, trying to sound business-like and failing, "I'm coming."


	8. Western Lovers: Cowboys and Archaeologists

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Billy is a man to be reckoned with. Can Dom heal his wounded soul and his own into the bargain. Could Billy make him forget the bitter lessons of the past?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> As many of you know, Western Lovers is my own particular labour of love, even though in the past it was ostensibly finished, there was always something missing for you the reader. I wanted to remedy that for you. At the end of this posting you will all know all of the Western Lovers family and all of their pasts and secrets. On behalf of all of them and me, I hope you enjoy their story as much as they do.

_  
**FIC REPOST: Western Lovers: Cowboys & Archaeologists (8/44)**   
_   
  
[   
](http://s265.photobucket.com/albums/ii203/sassypro365/?action=view&current=banforsas.jpg)

**Title:** Western Lovers: Cowboys and Archaeologists  
 **Author:**[](http://sassywitch.livejournal.com/profile)[ **sassywitch**](http://sassywitch.livejournal.com/)  
 **Beta** by the talented [](http://celtprincess13.livejournal.com/profile)[**celtprincess13**](http://celtprincess13.livejournal.com/)  
 **Pairing:** BB/DM  
 **Rating:** NC-17 for the series.  
 **Summary:** Billy is a man to be reckoned with. Can Dom heal his wounded soul and his own into the bargain. Could Billy make him forget the bitter lessons of the past?  
 **Feedback:** Feedback is my writers crack, which is not to be confused at all with plumbers crack.  
 **Acknowledgements:** There are so many people that have helped in the creation of the Double L and it’s families. Thank you to [](http://alassenya.livejournal.com/profile)[**alassenya**](http://alassenya.livejournal.com/) for everything, [](http://hisniblets.livejournal.com/profile)[**hisniblets**](http://hisniblets.livejournal.com/) for the dialect help, thanks for [](http://billyhasmyheart.livejournal.com/profile)[**billyhasmyheart**](http://billyhasmyheart.livejournal.com/) for all the research assistance particularly with the bike specs and to [](http://glasgowhobbit.livejournal.com/profile)[**glasgowhobbit**](http://glasgowhobbit.livejournal.com/) for the recipe help. [](http://celtprincess13.livejournal.com/profile)[**celtprincess13**](http://celtprincess13.livejournal.com/) brings you better grammar and punctuation than I ever could. Thank you all, The Double L wouldn’t be the same without any of you. **Disclaimer:** Not at all true in reality. These men whilst adorable and perfectly happy to slash themselves, their actual relationship is something that they only know. This story is adapted from a series of books that I adored when I was younger written by Elizabeth Lowell.  
 **Word Count:** 3606  
 **Previous Posting:** [Chapter 1|](http://sassyfic.livejournal.com/30798.html)[Chapter 2|](http://sassyfic.livejournal.com/31180.html)[Chapter 3|](http://sassyfic.livejournal.com/31243.html)[Chapter 4|](http://sassyfic.livejournal.com/31548.html)[Chapter 5|](http://sassyfic.livejournal.com/31807.html)[Chapter 6|](http://sassyfic.livejournal.com/32095.html)[Chapter 7|](http://sassyfic.livejournal.com/32360.html)

  
 **Posted to:** [](http://fellowshippers.livejournal.com/profile)[**fellowshippers**](http://fellowshippers.livejournal.com/) , [](http://monaboyd.livejournal.com/profile)[**monaboyd**](http://monaboyd.livejournal.com/) and [](http://sassyfic.livejournal.com/profile)[**sassyfic**](http://sassyfic.livejournal.com/)  
 **Header Art:** Courtesy of the incredibly talented [](http://loki-girl.livejournal.com/profile)[**loki_girl**](http://loki-girl.livejournal.com/).  
 **Authors Notes:** As many of you know, Western Lovers is my own particular labour of love, even though in the past it was ostensibly finished, there was always something missing for you the reader. I wanted to remedy that for you. At the end of this posting you will all know all of the Western Lovers family and all of their pasts and secrets. On behalf of all of them and me, I hope you enjoy their story as much as they do.

  
There was some water running in Arwen Wash, but the big ranch truck crossed without difficulty. Splash marks on the other side of the ford told Billy that he wasn't the only person who had driven toward Arwen Canyon today. Billy quickly glanced around, but saw nothing. They had passed no one the entire length of the one-lane dirt road, which meant that the other vehicle was still in front of them. He glanced sidelong at Dominic wondering if he had seen the signs of earlier traffic but his passenger was too caught up in cataloguing the different signs of ruins to have noticed a set of tyre tracks.

Frowning, Billy turned right and drove along the edge of the broad wash. There was no real road to follow, simply a suggestion of tire tracks where other vehicles had gone before. Tributary canyons opened up on the left of the wash, and more were visible across the thin, ribbon of water, but Billy made no attempt to explore those openings. After three miles, he turned left into the mouth of a side canyon.  
Dom looked at him questioningly.

"Arwen Canyon," Billy said. "The mesa it's eaten out of didn't really have a name, but we've started calling it Arwen Mesa since we've been working on the site. Aragorn Mesa is behind us now, across the wash."

"What's upstream?"

"More canyons. Smaller, and if you follow the wash upstream long enough, it finally narrows into a crack and disappears into a wall of stone, which is the body of the mesa itself. Other than that, the canyons are a maze. Even with a compass, it's hard not to get lost."

Dom turned around, trying to orient himself. "Where is the Double L?"

Billy gestured with his head because he needed both hands on the wheel. "North and east on top of the big mesa."

"It is? I thought the ranch was on the edge of a broad valley."

Billy smiled slightly. "So do most people who come on the Double L from the north. You don't know that the valley is really a mesa until you drive off the edge. The mountains confuse you. All of the Colorado Plateau is like that."

Dom reached into his back jeans pocket, pulled out a US geological survey map and began searching for the vague line that represented the ranch road they were on, but the bouncing of the truck made map reading impossible.

"Perspective is a funny thing," Billy said, glancing at the map for an instant.

"Coming in from the south and east, you see the wall of the mesa, the cliffs and the gorges and canyons. That's where the explorers were then they started naming things, at the bottom, looking up. You can't see the Fire Mountains from that angle, and everything looks dark and jumbled at a distance, so the whole area was once called Black Plateau or Fire Mountain plateau, depending on which old timer you talk to."

Dom folded the map and put it away.

"On the other hand," Billy continued, "If you're coming in from the mountain end of the territory, you see a mesa top as more of a broad valley, and you name it accordingly."

"Is that what happened on the Double L?"

Billy nodded. "Viggos' forefather’s started out with a ranch at the bottom of what became known as Mortensen Ridge, which is a foothill of the Fire Mountains. From his perspective, the mesa top is a broad, winding valley, but history named the hunk of land for a hundred miles in all directions, Black Plateau, even though it's a mesa, not a plateau. Then add a hundred years of Spanish and American cowboys translating Indian names and adding their own, and you have a map-makers nightmare.

"You also have a lot of lost tourists."

The left corner of Billy's mouth lifted slightly. "Just remember that Arwen Mesa and Aragorn Mesa and all the nameless mesas are nothing but narrow fingers stretching out from the huge hand known as Black Plateau."

"I'm beginning to understand why men invented satellite photos. It's the only way to see how the pieces all fit together."

Billy shot Dom an amused, approving glance, but only for an instant. The truck moving at barely five miles an hour bumped and thumped over the rock strewn, narrowing canyon. To Dom's eyes, there was nothing to distinguish the cliff rimmed canyon they had entered from the many other tributary canyons that emptied into Elf Wash. The mouth of Arwen Canyon was perhaps eighty yards across, marked by nothing but a faint suggestion of tire tracks in the sand. The cliffs were of a vaguely ruddy, vaguely gold sandstone that reminded Dom of the color of Billy's hair. The narrow beds of shale that lay under the sandstone crumbled readily, forming steep, slippery pile of shale fragments at the base of the cliffs.

Scattered on the surface of the gray-brown shale debris were huge, erratic piles of sandstone rubble that were formed when the shale crumbled and washed away faster than the more durable cliffs above, leaving the sandstone cliffs without support at their base. Then great sheets of sandstone peeled away from the overhanging cliffs and fell to the earth below, shattering into rubble and leaving behind arches and alcoves, and deeper overhangs, and sometimes, filling pre-existing alcoves.

In many cases, the shale had been eroded by the seeping of groundwater between layers of sandstone and shale. When the water eventually reached the edge of a cliff or a ravine, it became a spring, a source of clean, year round water for the people who eventually sought shelter in the arching overhangs that the springs had helped to create. Without the water, there would have been no cliff hanging alcoves for men to take shelter within, no easily defended villages set into sheer stone. Without the very special circumstances of sandstone, shale and water, the civilization would have developed differently, had it developed at all.

The interlocking of Anasazi and the land had always fascinated Dom. The fact that their cliff houses were found in some of the most remote, starkly beautiful landscapes in America simply added to his fascination.

"Does the Double L run cattle here?" Dom asked.

"Not for several years."

"Then how were the ruins discovered?"

"Liv was returning a potshard that Viggo had found years ago in the mouth of Arwen Canyon and given to her. She drove out from Helm’s Deep alone and spent several hours walking the canyon floor. There had been a storm recently, and a tree had fallen. She came around a bend and there the ruins were."

"That must have been incredible," Dom said, his voice throaty with longing.

"I doubt that Liv was in a mood to appreciate it. She had come here to say goodbye to everything she had ever wanted; the land, the ranch and most of all, the man."

"Viggo?"

Silently, Billy nodded.

"What changed her mind?"

"Viggo. He finally got it through his hard head that Liv was the one woman in a million who could live on an isolated ranch and not go sour."

Dom's mouth turned down in a sad curve. "I was ranch raised. It's not for everyone, man or woman."

"You didn't like it?"

"I loved it. No matter how bad things got at home, the land was always waiting, always beautiful, always there. I could walk away from the buildings and the land would….."

Dom's voice shivered into silence as he realized what he had almost revealed.

"Heal you?" Billy suggested softly.

Dom's eyes closed and a tiny shudder went through him. Billy was too perceptive. He saw things with dangerous clarity.

"The land was here long before a primate climbed down out of a tree and put a kink in his back trying to see over the grass, " Billy said matter of factly. "The land will be here long after we're gone. That frightens some people, because it makes them feel small and worthless, but some people are made whole by touching something that's bigger than they are, something enduring, something that lives on a different time scale than man."

The words slid past Dom's defenses, making him realize that Billy was one of those who had come to the land to be healed.

"What hurt you?" he asked before he could stop himself.

The lines of Billy's face shifted, reminding Dom of the cold, deadly fighter who had come over the corral fence and flattened a larger, whip-wielding opponent in a matter of seconds.

"I'm sorry," Dom said quickly. "I had no right to ask."

Billy nodded curtly, either agreeing with him or accepting his apology, Dom wasn't certain which.

It was silent in the truck for a few moments before Billy said, "We're coming up on the base camp. It's beneath that big overhang on the left."

Dom heard more than the words; he heard what wasn't said as well. Gone was the subtle emotion that had made Billy's voice like black velvet when he talked about the land. His tone was neither reserved, nor outgoing, simply neutral and polite.

Telling himself that Billy's withdrawal didn't matter, Dom looked beyond his handsome, unyielding profile to the smooth cliff wall rising above scattered pinions. The sandstone gleamed against the thunderheads that had consumed the sky, and something bright flickered at the edge of his vision. A few seconds later, thunder pealed through the narrow canyon, shaking the ground. Spectral light flickered and danced again, and again, thunder reverberated between stone walls.  
Dom rolled the window down and closed his eyes. He breathed in deeply, savoring the pungent, suddenly cool wind. Soon it would begin to rain; he could feel it. He could smell it in the air, the unique blend of heat and dust rising up from the ground, and countless water drops reaching down to caress the dry land.

Thunder belled again and then again. A gust of wind came through the open truck window, pouring over Dom. He laughed softly, wishing he was alone so that he could hold out his arms and embrace the wild, summer storm.

The subdued music of Dom's laughter drew Billy's attention. He looked at Dom for only an instant, but it was enough. He knew he would never forget the picture Dom with his head thrown back, the long smooth expanse of his neck exposed, just asking to be kissed and his hair tousled as though by a lover's hands, his cheeks flushed with excitement, and his lips parted as he gave himself to the storm wind.

The persistent, male curiosity Billy had felt at his first sight of Dom retreating from the skirmish at the corral became a torrent of desire pouring through him, hardening him with a speed he hadn't known since he was a teenager. His lips ached to kiss the crooked smile that surfaced too infrequently, his tongue wanted nothing more than to lick the smooth expanse of the golden, tanned skin of Dom's neck, and his fingers itched to card through Dom's hair as he kissed him senseless. Cursing silently, Billy forced his attention away from his quickened body and onto the demands of the journey. The last quarter mile of terrain to the ruins was tricky, because most of it was over greasy shale slopes, studded with house sized boulders of sandstone that had fallen from the thick, cliff forming layer of rock. The truck bucked and tires spun in protest at the slippery going as the vehicle groaned up the final hill.

"Wouldn't it have been better to walk from the base camp?" Dom asked bracing himself against the dashboard.

"I was in a hurry."

"Why?" Dom asked, looking toward Billy as the truck bucked over the ridge and stopped abruptly.

"That's why."

The flat, predatory quality of Billy's voice froze Dom's breath. Slowly, Dom followed his gaze.

A dirty Range Rover was parked among the rubble at the base of the cliff. Beyond the vehicle, lightweight aluminum ladders extended up the twenty feet of massive sandstone that separated the ruins from the rubble below.

Billy reached over, unlocked the gun rack that hung over the rear window and chose the shotgun, leaving the rifle in place. He checked the shotgun's load, racked a shell into the chamber, then got out of the truck and closed the door before he turned to look at Dom through the open window.

"Stay here."

Thunder belled harshly, followed by a cannonade of rain sweeping in shining veils over the ground. Holding the shotgun muzzle down, Billy ignored the rain that quickly soaked through his clothing, listening as there was a muffled shout from the ruins. He ignored that, too. The Range Rover was unlocked. He went through the vehicle quickly, finding and unloading a pistol and a rifle. A quick motion of his wrist sent bullets arcing out into the rain. The weapons he put way into the back of the Rover, next to a big carton. With one eye on the pot hunters who were scrambling down the rain slick ladders, Billy ripped open the box.

It was filled with Anasazi pots, their bold geometrics and corrugated finish unmistakable in the watery light. Bits of turquoise and shell gleamed in the bottom of one bowl. Billy lifted the carton out, set it on the ground and returned to the interior of the rover. It stank of cigarette smoke and gasoline that was evaporating from a five gallon container with a faulty seal.

As the pothunters hit the bottom of the ladder and started running towards him, Billy opened the container and poured it over the inside of the truck. The stench of raw gas, swirled up, overpowering.

"Hey!" hollered the first man. "Get the hell out of there! That truck's private property."

The Rover was between Billy and the pot hunters. When he stepped out around the rear of the vehicle, the men could see the shotgun held with professional ease in Billy's hands, muzzle slanted down, neither pointing toward or away from the men.

The first man slowed his reckless pace to a wary walk. He was in his mid-twenties and carried himself as though he had spent time in the military. He was big, hard-shouldered, and used to intimidating people with his sheer size.

"You're trespassing on Double L land, " Billy said

"I didn't see any signs."

The line of Billy's mouth lifted in a sardonic curl. "Too bad. Get in your Rover and drive out of here."

The other two men caught up with the first just as he shouted, "You'll be hearing from me cowboy. You're threatening private citizens. We were just traveling around in the back country and made a wrong turn somewhere. It could have happened to anyone, and that's what I'll tell the sheriff when I file a complaint.

"The only wrong turn you made was in thinking all you'd find out here were pots and a few grad students even younger than you are.

"Think you're a big man with that shotgun, don't you?"

"You sure didn't learn much in the marines before they threw you out, " Billy drawled.

"How did you know I was…." The man's voice faded and as angry color rose in his face his hands curled into tight meaty fists. He jerked his head towards the Rover. The other two men reached for the door handles.

Billy watched with an air of shuttered expectancy, and he wasn't disappointed. No sooner did the two men open the doors than there were simultaneous shouts of outrage.

"He poured gas all over the damn truck."

"Karl, the pots are gone!"

Then one of the men noticed the guns. He slammed the door and said in disgust. "Pack it in Karl. He got to the guns. They’re empty"

Karls' face flattened into mean lines as he measured the cowboy standing at ease in front of him.

"You heard them," Billy said. "Pack it in." He raised his voice slightly and said to the other two men. "Get in the car and shut the doors."

The younger man colored with frustration and anger when his two companions obediently climbed into the Rover, slamming both doors behind them.

"Those are my pots," Karl said angrily. "If they're not in the Rover when I leave, I'll sue your smart ass for theft.

"Go home kid. School's out."

As Billy spoke, he casually broke open his shotgun and removed the shell from the firing chamber.

Karl was as foolish as Billy had hoped. The younger man began weaving and feinting, his body held in the stance of someone who had been trained in unarmed combat.

Billy closed the shotgun with a fast snap of his wrist, and set the weapon on the Rover's hood before he turned and walked toward the younger man. As though Billy's calm approach unnerved Karl, he attacked. Billy deflected the charge with a deceptively casual motion of his shoulders that sent Karl staggering off balance over the slippery rubble.

Karl went to his hands and knees, then scrambled to his feet and came after Billy again.

One of the Rover's doors opened just behind Billy. He spun around and lashed out with his booted foot, connecting with metal. There was a startled curse, a cry of pain, and the sound of a door slamming closed beneath Billy's foot. Before the echo could return from the stone walls, Billy had turned around again.

Karl was more careful in his tactics this time, but the result was still the same. When he lunged for Billy, Karl got nothing but a handful of mud. It happened again, then a fourth time, and each time, Karl ended up on his hands and knees.

"Hurry up kid," Billy said watching Karl push to his feet for the fifth time. "I'm getting tired of standing 'round in the rain waiting for you to get smart."

With an inarticulate cry of rage, Karl came to his feet, clawing beneath the windbreaker with his right hand, tearing a hunting knife free of its sheath. This time when Karl charged, Billy made a single, swift movement that sent the other man head over heels to land hard and flat on his back, gasping for air. Billy's boot descended on Karl's right wrist, and after bending over, Billy took the knife from Karl's hand, tested the edge of the blade, and made a disdainful sound.

"You'd be lucky to cut butter with this, boy."

Karl's glazed eyes focused on Billy, who was throwing the knife from hand to hand, flipping it end over end, testing the knife's balance with the expertise of someone thoroughly accustomed to using a knife as a weapon.

"Other than the edge, it's a nice knife," Billy said after a few moments. "Really fine."

There was a brief blur of movement, followed by the sound of steel grating through earth. Buried half the length of it's blade, the knife gleamed only inches from Karl's shocked face. Billy removed his boot from Karl's wrist.

"Pull the knife out and put it back in your belt."

Karl reached slowly for the knife. For an instant as his fingers closed around the hilt, he thought of throwing the knife at the smaller, rain soaked man who had humiliated him with such offhanded ease.

Watching with the patience of a predator, Billy waited to see how smart Karl really was.

Slowly, reluctantly, Karl returned the knife to its sheath.

"You're learning kid. Too bad. I was looking forward to watching you eat that knife." Billy bent down and dragged the younger man to his feet with a single powerful motion.

"Now here's something else for you to learn. I've been hearing things about a busted-out gyrene pothunter who gets his kicks slapping around teachers who's only crime is wanting to camp in a national park.

For the first time since the fight had started, Karl was close enough to see Billy's eyes beneath the dripping brim of his cowboy hat. The younger man's face paled visibly.

"Hearing things like that makes me real impatient," Billy said matter of factly

"When I get impatient, I get clumsy, and when I get clumsy, I break things. My friends are the same way, and I've got friends all over the state. So if you know any other pothunting cowards, pass the word. Starting now, my friends and I will be damned clumsy. Understand?"

Slowly Karl nodded.

Billy opened his hands and stepped back, his body both relaxed and perfectly balanced.

"You're going to start thinking about this, and drinking, and pretty soon you'll be sure you can take me. So think on this. Next time you come after me, I'll strip you, pin a diaper on you and walk you through town wearing a pink bonnet. Know something else? You won't have a mark on you, but you'll be marching double time just the same." Billy jerked his head toward the Rover. "Make sure I don't hear about you again, kid. I purely despise bullies."

Karl backed away from Billy and reached for the Rover's front door with more eagerness than grace. Billy watched. He was about to congratulate the two men in the rover on their good sense in staying out of his way when he saw that the reason they had sidelined themselves wasn't good sense.

Dom had stepped down from the truck and was standing in the rain, sighting down a rifle he had braced against the hood of the truck.

  



	9. Western Lovers: Cowboys and Archaeologists

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Billy is a man to be reckoned with. Can Dom heal his wounded soul and his own into the bargain. Could Billy make him forget the bitter lessons of the past?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> As many of you know, Western Lovers is my own particular labour of love, even though in the past it was ostensibly finished, there was always something missing for you the reader. I wanted to remedy that for you. At the end of this posting you will all know all of the Western Lovers family and all of their pasts and secrets. On behalf of all of them and me, I hope you enjoy their story as much as they do. Since I’m two weeks behind my original posting schedule I thought you might all like a bonus chapter this week.

_  
**FIC REPOST: Western Lovers: Cowboys & Archaeologists (9/44)**   
_   
  
[   
](http://s265.photobucket.com/albums/ii203/sassypro365/?action=view&current=banforsas.jpg)

**Title:** Western Lovers: Cowboys and Archaeologists  
 **Author:**[](http://sassywitch.livejournal.com/profile)[ **sassywitch**](http://sassywitch.livejournal.com/)  
 **Beta** by the talented [](http://celtprincess13.livejournal.com/profile)[**celtprincess13**](http://celtprincess13.livejournal.com/)  
 **Pairing:** BB/DM  
 **Rating:** NC-17 for the series.  
 **Summary:** Billy is a man to be reckoned with. Can Dom heal his wounded soul and his own into the bargain. Could Billy make him forget the bitter lessons of the past?  
 **Feedback:** Feedback is my writers crack, which is not to be confused at all with plumbers crack.  
 **Acknowledgements:** There are so many people that have helped in the creation of the Double L and it’s families. Thank you to [](http://alassenya.livejournal.com/profile)[**alassenya**](http://alassenya.livejournal.com/) for everything, [](http://hisniblets.livejournal.com/profile)[**hisniblets**](http://hisniblets.livejournal.com/) for the dialect help, thanks for [](http://billyhasmyheart.livejournal.com/profile)[**billyhasmyheart**](http://billyhasmyheart.livejournal.com/) for all the research assistance particularly with the bike specs and to [](http://glasgowhobbit.livejournal.com/profile)[**glasgowhobbit**](http://glasgowhobbit.livejournal.com/) for the recipe help. [](http://celtprincess13.livejournal.com/profile)[**celtprincess13**](http://celtprincess13.livejournal.com/) brings you better grammar and punctuation than I ever could. Thank you all, The Double L wouldn’t be the same without any of you. **Disclaimer:** Not at all true in reality. These men whilst adorable and perfectly happy to slash themselves, their actual relationship is something that they only know. This story is adapted from a series of books that I adored when I was younger written by Elizabeth Lowell.  
 **Word Count:** 3606  
 **Previous Posting:** [Chapter 1|](http://sassyfic.livejournal.com/30798.html)[Chapter 2|](http://sassyfic.livejournal.com/31180.html)[Chapter 3|](http://sassyfic.livejournal.com/31243.html)[Chapter 4|](http://sassyfic.livejournal.com/31548.html)[Chapter 5|](http://sassyfic.livejournal.com/31807.html)[Chapter 6|](http://sassyfic.livejournal.com/32095.html)[Chapter 7| ](http://sassyfic.livejournal.com/32360.html)[Chapter 8|](%E2%80%9Dhttp://sassyfic.livejournal.com/32545.html)

  
 **Posted to:** [](http://fellowshippers.livejournal.com/profile)[**fellowshippers**](http://fellowshippers.livejournal.com/) , [](http://monaboyd.livejournal.com/profile)[**monaboyd**](http://monaboyd.livejournal.com/) and [](http://sassyfic.livejournal.com/profile)[**sassyfic**](http://sassyfic.livejournal.com/)  
 **Header Art:** Courtesy of the incredibly talented [](http://loki-girl.livejournal.com/profile)[**loki_girl**](http://loki-girl.livejournal.com/).  
 **Authors Notes:** As many of you know, Western Lovers is my own particular labour of love, even though in the past it was ostensibly finished, there was always something missing for you the reader. I wanted to remedy that for you. At the end of this posting you will all know all of the Western Lovers family and all of their pasts and secrets. On behalf of all of them and me, I hope you enjoy their story as much as they do. Since I’m two weeks behind my original posting schedule I thought you might all like a bonus chapter this week.

  
With outward calm, Dom watched the Range rover slither and slide down the shale, retreating from Arwen Canyon as quickly as the rain and rough terrain allowed.

"You can put it away now. They won't be back."

Billy's voice made Dom realize that he was still crouched over the rifle, sighting down its blue steel barrel, his hands holding the weapon too tightly. He forced himself to take a deep breath and stand upright.

"May I?" Billy asked, holding out a hand for the rifle, his shotgun held in the other hand.

Dom gave the rifle to him and said faintly, "It will need cleaning. The rain is very ... wet."

Billy didn't smile, simply nodded his head in serious agreement. "I'll take care of it."

"Thank you. It's been years since I cleaned a rifle. I've probably forgotten how."

"You sure didn't forget how to use one," Billy said as he checked the rifle over with a few swift movements. He noted approvingly that there was a round in the chamber. He removed the bullet and pocketed it. "Thank you."

Dom looked at him and blinked, trying to focus his thoughts.

"For aiming the rifle at them rather than at me," Billy explained smiling slightly "It's nice to know you think I'm one of the good guys."

"I – they – you didn't need me," Dom said, rubbing his hands together against the sudden chill on his skin.

"Three against one? I needed all the help I could get."

Dom shook his head. "You could have made veal cutlets out of that pothunter before his friends could have taken a single step to stop you. Why didn't you?"

"Never did like veal cutlets," Billy said matter-of-factly, opening the truck door. "Get in, Honey. It's wet out here."

"I'm serious," Dom said climbing up into the dry cab. "Why did you hold back? You certainly didn't with Serkis ... did you?" Dom remembered with vivid clarity every moment he had witnessed of the fight with Serkis and if Billy had been holding back, Dom would really hate to be there when he wasn’t.

Billy went around the truck and got in behind the wheel. He sensed Dom's intent gaze and watchful, wary eyes. Wondering if Dom was still afraid of him, Billy watched him from the corner of his eyes as he began wiping down the rifle and the shotgun with the soft cloth kept behind the seat for that purpose. Despite the vague trembling of Dom's hands and the paleness of his skin, Billy began to understand hat he wasn't afraid of him; he was simply caught in the backlash of the adrenaline storm that had come from his brush with pothunters.

"Why?" Dom persisted, rubbing his arms as though he were cold. "What was different?"

"Serkis was a brute who only understands brute force," Billy said finally. "If I had pulled my punches with him, he would have been back for more. That kid, Karl, was different. He's a swaggering bully. A coward. So I showed him what a candy-ass he really is when it comes to fighting. He'll be a long time forgetting.

"Will he be back?"

"Doubt it." Billy turned around and locked the weapons back into the rack. "But if he does come back, he better pray David isn't on guard."

"David?"

"My kid brother. He wouldn’t have been happy. He would have gutted Karl and never looked back. Hard man, David."

"And you aren't?"

Turning looking at Dom over his shoulder, Billy smiled slowly. "Honey, haven't you figured it out yet? I'm so tenderhearted a butterfly can walk roughshod all over me."

It was the second time in as many minutes that Billy had called Dom 'honey', and Dom knew he should object to the implied intimacy, no matter how warm it made his heart. At the very least, he shouldn't encourage Billy by laughing at the ludicrous image of a butterfly stomping all over Billy's muscular body. So Dom tried very hard not to laugh, failed, and finally gave into the need, knowing that it was a release for all the emotions seething just beneath his control.

Billy listened, sensing the complex currents of Dom's emotions. He reached for the door before he looked over at Dom and nodded once, as though agreeing with himself.

"You'll do, Dominic Monaghan. You'll do just fine."

"For what?" he asked, startled.

"For whatever you want. You've got guts. You'd go to war over a carton of Anasazi artifacts. You stand up for what you believe in and my guess is for others who can’t fight for themselves too. That's too damned rare these days."

Billy was out of the truck and closing the door behind him before Dom could put into words his first thought: he hadn't stood in the rain with an unfamiliar rifle in his hands to save a few artifacts from pothunters. It had been Billy he was worried about, one man against three.

 _I didn't need to worry. Billy is a one man army. Sean was right - someone taught him to play hardball. I wonder who, and where, and what it cost._

The trucks door opened. Billy set the closed carton of artifacts on the seat next to Dom, then swung into the cab with a lithe motion. His masculine grace fascinated Dom, as did the fact that Billy's rain-soaked shirt clung to every ridge and swell of muscle, emphasizing the width of his shoulders and the strength of his back. If he had wanted to, Billy could have overpowered Dom with terrible ease, for he was far stronger than Ethan had ever been, and in the end, Ethan had been too strong for him.

Grimly, Dom turned his thoughts away from a past that was beyond his ability to change or forget. He could only accept what had happened, and renew his vow that he would never again put himself in a position where a man thought he had the right to take what Dom was unwilling to give.

"Don't worry," Billy said.

"What?" Dom gave him a startled look, wondering if Billy had read his mind.

"The artifacts are fine. Karl was an amateur when it came to fighting, but he knew how to pack pots. Nothing was lost."

"Just the history."

His hand on the key, Billy turned to look at Dom, not understanding what he meant.

"The real value of the artifacts for an archaeologist comes from seeing how they relate to each other in situ," he explained. "Unless the artifacts were photographed where they were found, they don't have much to tell us now."

"To a scholar, maybe, but to me, just seeing the artifacts, seeing their shapes and designs, knowing they were made by a people and a culture that lived and died and will never be born again ..." Billy shrugged. "I'd go to war to save a piece of that. Hell, I have more than once."

Again, Billy had surprised Dom. He hadn't expected a nonprofessional to understand the intellectual and emotional fascination of fragments from the past. His response threw Dom off balance, leaving him teetering between his ingrained fear of strong men and the equally deep desire to be close to the contradictory complex man called Billy Boyd.

Billy eased the big truck down the slippery shoulder of shale and headed back for the big overhang that served as a base camp for the dig. By the time they had unloaded their gear, set up sleeping bags at the opposite ends of the overhang's broad base and changed into dry clothes behind the canvas privacy screen that had been erected for just such emergencies, the rain was becoming less of a torrent.

Neither Dom nor Billy noticed the improving weather at first. They had gravitated toward the shard-sorting area that the graduate students had set up. Numbered cartons held remnants of pottery that had been taken from the specific areas, according to the place where they had been unearthed. Whoever had the time or the desire was invited to try piecing together the three dimensional puzzles before they were removed to the old ranch house.

Billy showed a marked flair for resurrecting whole artifacts from scattered, broken fragments. In fact, more than once, Dom was astonished at the ease with which he reached into one carton, then another and came out with interlocking shards. There was something uncanny about how pieces of history became whole in his hands. Billy's concentration on the task made casual conversation unnecessary, which relieved Dom. Soon Dom was sorting shards, trying out pieces together, bending over Billy to reach into cartons, muttering phrases about gray ware with three black lines and an acute angle versus corrugated ware with a curve and a bite out of one side. Billy answered with similar phrases, handing him whatever he had that matched Dom's description of missing shards.

After the first half hour, Dom forgot he was alone with a man in an isolated canyon. He forgot to be afraid that something he might say or do would trigger in Billy the certainty that he wanted him sexually, despite whatever objections Dom might make to his advances. For the first time in years, Dom enjoyed the company of a man as a person, another adult with whom he could be at ease. Billy had ceased to be a threat to his mind and his body, he was simply Billy.

When the rain finally stopped completely, Dom stood, stretched cramped leg muscles and went to the edge of the overhang to look out across the newly washed land. Although no ruins were visible from the overhang itself, excitement simmered suddenly in his blood. Hundreds of years ago, the Anasazi had looked out on the same land, smelled the same scent of wet earth and pinion, seen the glittering beauty of sunlight captured in a billion drops of water clinging to needles and boughs, and the sheer face of the cliff itself. For this instant, Dom and the Anasazi were one.

That was what he wanted to capture in his illustrations; the continuity of life, of human experience, a continuity of life, of human experience, a continuity that existed through time, regardless of the outward diversity of human cultures.

"I'm going to the site," Dom said picking up his backpack.

Billy looked up from the potshards he was assembling. "I'll be along as soon as I get these numbered. Don't go up those ladders until they're dry. And stick to the part of the ruins that has a grid. Some of that rubble isn't stable, and some of the walls are worse."  
"Don't worry. I'm not exploring anything alone," Dom replied as he settled the backpack on his shoulders. "Too many of those ruins are traps waiting to be sprung. With the Anasazi, you never know when the ground is a ceiling covering a sunken kiva. I'll stay on the well-beaten path until there are more people on site."

A long look assured Billy that Dom meant what he said, and he nodded. "Thanks."

"For what?" Dom asked.

"Not getting your back up at my suggestions."

"I have nothing against common sense. Besides, you're the ramrod on this site," Dom added. "If I don't like your, er, 'suggestions', that's my hard luck, right? You'll enforce your orders any way you have to."

Billy thought of putting it less bluntly, then shrugged. Dom was right, and it would save a lot of grief if Dom knew it.

"That's my job."

"I'll remember it."

What Dom said was the simple truth. He would remember. The thought of going against Billy's suggestions was frankly intimidating. He had the power to enforce his will and Dom knew it as well as he did. Better. Dom had been taught by his father and his only partner just how little protests mattered to men whose physical superiority was a fact of life.

"If you hear the trucks horn beep three times, or three shots from the rifle," Billy warned, "it means come back here on the double."

Dom nodded, checked his watch and said, "I'll be back before sundown."

"Damn straight you will be." Billy held two pieces of pottery up against the sunlight streaming into the overhang, frowned and set one piece aside before he said, "Only a fool or a pothunter would go feeling around in the ruins after dark."

Dom didn't bother to answer. Billy wasn't really listening anyway - he was holding another piece of pottery against the sunlight, visually comparing edges. They must have fit, because Billy grunted and wrote on the inside of both pieces. After they were cleaned, they would be glued together, but the equipment for that operation was back at the old ranch house.

Beyond the overhang, the land was damp and glistening from the recent rain. The short-lived waterfalls that had made lacy veils over the cliff faces were already diminishing to silver tendrils. Before he left the overhang, Dom glanced back at Billy, only to find him engrossed in his three dimensional puzzle. Dom shouldn't have been relieved at the silent evidence that he didn't have to worry about fielding any unwanted advances from Billy, because quite obviously, Dom wasn't the focus of his attentions. But Dom wasn't relieved. Frankly, he was a bit irked that Billy found it so easy to ignore him.

The realization disconcerted him, so Dom shoved the thought aside and concentrated on the increasingly rugged terrain as he began to climb from Arwen Canyon's floor up to the base of the steep cliffs, following whatever truck tracks the rain hadn't washed away.  
Thunder muttered through Arwen Canyon, followed by a gust of rain-scented wind that made the pinions moan. From the vantage point where the Rover had been parked, the ruins beckoned. Partial walls were scalloped raggedly by time and falling masonry. Some of the walls were barely ankle high, others reached nearly twenty five feet in height, broken only by the protruding cedar beams that had once supported floors. Cedar that was still protected by the stone remained strong and hard, while exposed beams weathered with the excruciating slowness of the rock itself.

Using a trick that an old archaeologist had taught him, Dom let his eyes become unfocussed while he was looking at the ruins. Details blurred and faded, leaving only larger relationships visible: weights and masses; symmetry and balance; subtle uses of force and counterforce that had to be conceived in the human mind before they were built, because they did not occur in nature. The multi-storied wall with its T-shaped doors no longer looked like a chimney with bricks fallen out, nor did the roofless kivas look like too-wide wells. The relationship of roof to floor to ceiling, the geometries of shared wall apartment living, became clearer to unfocussed, modern eyes.

The archaeologist who first examined Arwen Canyon estimated that the alcove had held between nineteen and twenty-six rooms, including the ubiquitous, circular kivas. The height of the building varied from less than four feet to three stories, depending on the height of the overhang itself.

The kivas were like basements set off from the larger grouping of rooms. The kivas' flat roofs were actually the floor of the town meeting area, where children played and women ground corn; where dogs barked and chased foolish turkeys. The balcony of a third-storey room was the ceiling of an adjacent two story apartment. Cedar ladders reached to cyst-like granaries built into lateral cracks too small to accommodate even a tiny room. And the Anasazi used rooms so tiny they were unthinkable to modern people, even taking into account the Anasazis' smaller stature.

Dom opened the outer pocket of his backpack and pulled out a lightweight, powerful pair of binoculars. As always, the patience of the Anasazi stonemasons fascinated him. Lacking metal of any kind, they shaped stone by using stone itself. Hand axes weighing several pounds were used to hammer rough squares or rectangles from shapeless slabs of rock. Then the imagined geometry was carefully tap-tap-tapped onto the rough block, thousands upon thousands of strokes, stone pecking at stone until the rock was of the proper size and shape.

The alcove's left side ended in sheer rock wall. A crack angled up the face of the cliff. At no point was the crack wider than a few inches, yet Dom could see places where natural foot or hand holds had been added. Every Anasazi who went up on the mesa to tend crops had to climb up the cliff with no more help than they could get out of the crack. The thought of making such a climb himself didn't appeal. The thought of children or old people making the climb in all kinds of weather was appalling, as was the thought of toddlers playing along the alcove's sheer drop.

Inevitably, people must have slipped and fallen. Even for an alcove that had a southern exposure, protected from all but the worst storms, the daily risking of life and limb represented by that trail seemed a terrible price to pay.

Dom lowered the glasses, looked at the ruins with his unaided eyes and frowned. The angle wasn't quite right for what he wanted to accomplish. Farther up the canyon, where the rubble slopes rose to the point that an agile climber could reach the ruins without a ladder, the angle would be no better. What he needed was a good spot from which to sketch an overview of the countryside with an inset detailing the structure and placement of the ruins themselves. The surrounding country could be sketched almost anytime. The ruins, however, were best sketched in slanting late afternoon light, when all the irregularities and angles of masonry leaped into high relief. That 'sweet light' was rapidly developing as the day advanced.

With measuring eyes, Dom scanned his surroundings before he decided to sketch from the opposite side of the canyon. He shrugged his backpack into a more comfortable position and set off. The rains had been light enough that the creek was a ribbon Dom could jump over without much danger of getting his feet wet, and he worked his way up the canyon until he was about a half mile above the ruins on the opposite side. Only then did he climb up the loose rock slope at the base of the canyon's stone walls.

When Dom could climb no higher without encountering solid rock, he began scrambling parallel to the base of the cliff that formed the canyon wall. Every few minutes he paused to look at the ruins across the canyon, checking the changing angles until he found one he liked. His strategy meant a hard scramble across the debris slope at the base of the canyon's wall, but he had made similar scrambles at other sites in order to find just the right place to sit and sketch.

Finally, Dom stopped at the top of a particularly steep scramble where a section of the sandstone cliff had sloughed away, burying everything beneath in chunks of stone as big as a truck. Wiping his forehead, Dom checked the angle of the ruins and sighed.

"Close, but not good enough." He looked at the debris slope ahead, then at the ruins again."Just a bit farther, I hope."

Climbing carefully, scrambling much of the time, his hands and clothes smelling sweetly of the evergreens he had grabbed to pull himself along the steepest parts, Dom moved along the cliff base. Suddenly, he saw a curving something on the ground that was the wrong color and shape to be a stone. He walked eagerly forward, bending to pick up the potshard, which glowed an unusual red in the slanting sunlight. No sooner had his fingers curled around the shard than the ground gave way beneath his feet, sending him down in a torrent of dirt and stone.

Clutching at the air and screaming, Dom plunged into darkness ... and the name he screamed was Billy's.


	10. Western Lovers: Cowboys and Archaeologists

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Billy is a man to be reckoned with. Can Dom heal his wounded soul and his own into the bargain. Could Billy make him forget the bitter lessons of the past?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> As many of you know, Western Lovers is my own particular labour of love, even though in the past it was ostensibly finished, there was always something missing for you the reader. I wanted to remedy that for you. At the end of this posting you will all know all of the Western Lovers family and all of their pasts and secrets. On behalf of all of them and me, I hope you enjoy their story as much as they do.

_  
**FIC REPOST: Western Lovers: Cowboys & Archaeologists (10/44)**   
_   
  
[   
](http://s265.photobucket.com/albums/ii203/sassypro365/?action=view&current=banforsas.jpg)

**Title:** Western Lovers: Cowboys and Archaeologists  
 **Author:**[](http://sassywitch.livejournal.com/profile)[ **sassywitch**](http://sassywitch.livejournal.com/)  
 **Beta** by the talented [](http://celtprincess13.livejournal.com/profile)[**celtprincess13**](http://celtprincess13.livejournal.com/)  
 **Pairing:** BB/DM  
 **Rating:** NC-17 for the series.  
 **Summary:** Billy is a man to be reckoned with. Can Dom heal his wounded soul and his own into the bargain. Could Billy make him forget the bitter lessons of the past?  
 **Feedback:** Feedback is my writers crack, which is not to be confused at all with plumbers crack.  
 **Acknowledgements:** There are so many people that have helped in the creation of the Double L and it’s families. Thank you to [](http://alassenya.livejournal.com/profile)[**alassenya**](http://alassenya.livejournal.com/) for everything, [](http://hisniblets.livejournal.com/profile)[**hisniblets**](http://hisniblets.livejournal.com/) for the dialect help, thanks for [](http://billyhasmyheart.livejournal.com/profile)[**billyhasmyheart**](http://billyhasmyheart.livejournal.com/) for all the research assistance particularly with the bike specs and to [](http://glasgowhobbit.livejournal.com/profile)[**glasgowhobbit**](http://glasgowhobbit.livejournal.com/) for the recipe help. [](http://celtprincess13.livejournal.com/profile)[**celtprincess13**](http://celtprincess13.livejournal.com/) brings you better grammar and punctuation than I ever could. Thank you all, The Double L wouldn’t be the same without any of you. **Disclaimer:** Not at all true in reality. These men whilst adorable and perfectly happy to slash themselves, their actual relationship is something that they only know. This story is adapted from a series of books that I adored when I was younger written by Elizabeth Lowell.  
 **Word Count:** 3039  
 **Previous Posting:** [Chapter 1|](http://sassyfic.livejournal.com/30798.html)[Chapter 2|](http://sassyfic.livejournal.com/31180.html)[Chapter 3|](http://sassyfic.livejournal.com/31243.html)[Chapter 4|](http://sassyfic.livejournal.com/31548.html)[Chapter 5|](http://sassyfic.livejournal.com/31807.html)[Chapter 6|](http://sassyfic.livejournal.com/32095.html)[Chapter 7|](http://sassyfic.livejournal.com/32360.html)[Chapter 8|](http://sassyfic.livejournal.com/32545.html)[ Chapter 9|](http://sassyfic.livejournal.com/32897.html)

  
 **Posted to:** [](http://fellowshippers.livejournal.com/profile)[**fellowshippers**](http://fellowshippers.livejournal.com/) , [](http://monaboyd.livejournal.com/profile)[**monaboyd**](http://monaboyd.livejournal.com/) and [](http://sassyfic.livejournal.com/profile)[**sassyfic**](http://sassyfic.livejournal.com/)  
 **Header Art:** Courtesy of the incredibly talented [](http://loki-girl.livejournal.com/profile)[**loki_girl**](http://loki-girl.livejournal.com/).  
 **Authors Notes:** As many of you know, Western Lovers is my own particular labour of love, even though in the past it was ostensibly finished, there was always something missing for you the reader. I wanted to remedy that for you. At the end of this posting you will all know all of the Western Lovers family and all of their pasts and secrets. On behalf of all of them and me, I hope you enjoy their story as much as they do.

  
Billy was running before Dom's scream ended abruptly, leaving silence and echoes in its wake. He raced away from the ruins at full speed, not needing to follow Dom's tracks in order to find him. In the first instant of his scream, Billy had seen the bright red windbreaker Dom wore, vivid against the creamy wall of the stone on the opposite side of the canyon.

And then the red had vanished.

"Dom! Dominic!"

No one answered Billy's shout. He saved his breath for running across the canyon bottom and scrambling up the steep slope. As soon as he saw the black shadow of the new hole in the ground, he realized exactly what had happened. Dom had stepped onto the concealed roof of a kiva, and it had given way beneath his weight. Some of the kivas were only a few feet deep. Others were deeper than a man was tall. He was afraid that Dom had found one of the deep ones.

Moving slowly, ready to throw himself aside at the first hint of uncertain footing, Billy crept close to the hole that had appeared in the rubble slope.

"Dommeh, can you hear me?"

A sound that might have been his name came from the hole.

“Don't move," he said. "If you've hurt your spine, you could make it worse by thrashing around. I'll get to you as soon as I can."

This time, Billy was certain that the sound Dom made was his name.

"Just lie still and close your eyes, in case I knock some more dirt loose."

On his stomach, Billy inched closer to the hole. At the far side, he saw stubs of the cedar poles that had once supported a segment of the ceiling. In front of him was an open slot, where Dom had gone through about a third of the way across the circular ceiling. Parallel, intact cedar poles crossed the opening Dom had accidentally made.

Billy pulled himself to the edge of the hole and peered over. Eight feet down, Dom lay half buried in rubble, surrounded by a circle of carefully fitted masonry wall.

"I'm coming down now. Just lie still."

Billy tested the cedar poles as best he could. They held. Bracing himself between two poles, praying that the tough cedar would hold under his weight, he clipped through the ceiling and landed lightly on his feet next to Dom. Instinctively Dom tried to sit up.

"Don't move!"

"Can't-breathe."

The ragged gasps told Billy that Dom was breathing more effectively than he knew.

"It's all right. You had the wind knocked out of you by the fall, but you're getting it back now. Does any place in particular hurt?"

"No—"

Billy went down on his knees next to Dom's head. Dom's eyes went wide and he dragged raggedly for air to fill his clenching lungs when Billy reached for him.

"Easy now, Honey," Billy murmured. "I've got to check you for injuries. Just lie still. I won't hurt you. Be still now, it's all right."

Dazed, helpless, Dom fought his fear and held on to the black velvet of Billy's voice, remembering the moments when he had soothed the panicked horse and held the injured kitten so gently. It was the same now, hands both strong and gentle, probing his scalp, his neck, his shoulders, Billy's voice soothing, directing, explaining, and all the while, debris was being pushed away, revealing more of Dom's body to Billy's thorough touch, his hands moving over Dom with an intimacy that Dom had never willingly allowed any human. All that kept Dom from panicking was the realization that Billy's hands were as impersonal as they were careful.

"I can't feel anything broken and you didn't flinch anywhere when I touched you," Billy said finally. "Any numb spots?"

"No-I felt-" Dom sucked in air as much from the emotional shock of being touched as from the force of his recent fall. "Everywhere –you touched- I felt."

"Good. Wiggle your fingers and toes for me?"

Dom did.

"Hurt?"

"No."

"I'm going to check your neck again. If it hurts, even a little, you tell me quick."

Small fingers eased once more around Dom's neck, working their way through his hair, taking the weight of his head slowly so that he hardly recognized when he was no longer supporting it himself.

"Hurt?"

"N-no."

Billy's fingers spread, surrounding the back of Dom's head, and his thumbs glided gently over the line of Dom's jaw. Dom's breath came in and stayed, trapped by the sensations shivering through him all one sentence so slowly that he realized it only after the fact, and Billy began to turn his head to the right.

"Hurt?"

Dom tried to speak, couldn't, and shook his head instead. Billy's smile flashed for an instant in the gloom.

"If shaking your head didn't hurt, you're okay. Let's see how you do sitting up. We'll take it slow. If your back hurts at any time, tell me. Ready?"

Dom didn't need Billy's assistance to sit up, but he got it anyway. Billy's left arm was a hard, warm, resilient bar, supporting Dom's shoulders, and his right arm rested across Dom's chest, preventing Dom from pitching forward if he fainted, which Dom nearly did at the pressure of Billy's forearm across his suddenly sensitive chest.

"I'm fine," Dom said in a breathless rush.

"So far so good," agreed Billy. "Dizzy?"

Dom was, but it had nothing to do with his recent fall and everything to do with the powerful man kneeling next to him in the shadows of an ancient kiva, his strong arms supporting him, his face so close to Dom's that he tasted Billy's every breath.

"I'm not-dizzy."

"Good. We'll just sit here for a minute and make sure."

While Billy studied the broken ceiling overhead, Dom studied him. For the first time, Dom was struck by how truly handsome Billy was, with his ginger, slightly curling hair, smooth forehead, brilliant green eyes that sparkled with his every emotion, thick lashes, straight nose and perfect, cupid's bow lips with a beard shadow that heightened the intensely male line of his jaw.

It was more than the regularity of his features that appealed to Dom so vividly at the moment; it was the certainty that Billy's abundant, masculine strength wasn't going to be used against him. The relief was dizzying, telling Dom just how much of his energy had been locked up in controlling his fear of men.

Then Dom realized that Billy was looking at him. The clarity of his green eyes was extraordinary. The clean curves and angles of his mouth made Dom think of touching him, of finding out if his lips tasted as good as his breath.

"Are you all right?" Billy asked. "You look a little dazed."

"I am." Dom took a ragged breath, then another. "Having the world jerked out from under your feet does that."

Billy's smile flashed again. "Yeah, I guess so. Ready to try standing up?"

"Um."

"We'll take it nice and easy. Just onto your knees at first. Here we go."

With an ease that would have terrified Dom only yesterday, Billy lifted him into a kneeling position. His eyes measured Dom's response, his hands felt the continued co-ordination of Dom's body as he took his own weight on his knees and Dom nodded.

"Ready to try standing? I don't want to rush you but I'll feel a lot better once we're out of this kiva."

For the first time, the nature of his surrounding sank into Dom.

"A kiva! I fell through the ceiling of a kiva?"

"You sure did, Honey."

"We have to grid the site and be careful not to do any more damage and-"

"First," Billy interrupted smoothly, "We have to get the hell out of here. It's dangerous."

The voice was still black velvet, but there was the cool reality of steel beneath.

"Ramrod," Dom breathed, for the first time truly understanding how well his title suited him.

"Ready?" was all Billy said.

Ready or not, Dom was on his feet a few seconds later, put there by Billy's easy strength. Dom braced himself momentarily on Billy's hard forearms, feeling the vital heat of Billy's muscular biceps radiating through the cloth Dom's fingers closed around. A moment later, Dom snatched back his hands as though he had been burned.

"I'm fine," Dom said quickly. "Really. I can stand alone."

Billy heard the uneasiness in the sudden tumble of words and released Dom, but he didn't step back, for he wanted to be able to catch Dom, if his knees gave way.

"No dizziness?" he asked.

There was, but it came from Billy's closeness, rather than from any injury Dom might have received in the fall. Dom had no intention of saying anything about that fact, however. He wouldn’t know what to say even if he could. He had never felt this way before and it was scaring him more than Billy’s proximity.

"No I'm not dizzy," he said firmly.

"Sure?"

"Where have I heard that question before?"

A smile flashed in the gloom, Billy's smile, warm against the hard lines of his face.

"Feeling feisty are you?" he asked.

Dom looked away from Billy, afraid his approval of him would be much too clear. Dom didn't want that, didn't want to give Billy any reason to expect anything from him. With narrowed eyes, Dom examined the hole in the ceiling that was their only exit from the kiva. If he stretched up, all the way on his tiptoes, he might be able to brush his fingertips close to a cedar beam. And then again, he might not.

"Actually, I'm feeling rather intimidated," Dom admitted. "Some people would be able to get out of this hole alone, but not me. In gym class, I was a total disaster at chinning myself on the high bar."

Billy measured the distance to the ceiling and the cedar beams. "No problem. God made me with that in mind."

"He did?"

Billy nodded and kicked aside a bit of loose rubble, giving himself stable footing beneath the hole. He braced his legs and held out his arms to Dom.

"Okay, Honey. Up you go."

Dom looked at Billy as though he had just suggested that he teleport himself out of the hole.

"Don't worry. I won't drop you," Billy said. "I handle heavier things than you everyday. I'll lift you up. You balance yourself on the cedar poles until you can scramble from my shoulders to the ground."

"What about you?"

"That's where God's design comes in. He made me with a superpower, but it's a surprise." The smile faded, leaving only the hard, male lines of Billy's face, leaving Dom with no doubt that Billy could see his own fear and confusion. "It's all right, Dom. I won't hurt you. Trust me."

"I-" Dom's voice broke. He swallowed and forced himself to take two steps toward Billy. "I'll try- What do I have to do?"

"First put your hands on my shoulders."

For a few moments, Dom was afraid he wouldn't be able to force himself to do it. Silently, fiercely, he closed his eyes and fought old fears.

Billy watched with narrowed eyes, feeling Dom's fear as clearly as he had felt the intoxicating curves of his body while he checked him for injury.

"Dominic. Put your hands on my shoulders." Billy’s voice was firm and authoritative. Something told him gentle cajoling wouldn’t encourage Dom to do as he was asked.

Dom's eyelids snapped open. Gone was the velvet reassurance of Billy's voice, and in its place was a steel reality. He could help Billy get him out of the kiva or he could fight him, either way, he was going up through that hole in the ceiling. Dom didn't know how Billy would manage the feat without his cooperation, but Dom had no doubt that he would.

Dom lifted his hands to Billy's shoulders. He knew Billy could feel him trembling, but was unable to stop it.

"Are you afraid of falling again?" Billy asked.

"I-"

Dom's hands clutched around the hard resilience of Billy's shoulder muscles. He was so strong. Much too strong. Dom was as helpless as a kitten against his power.

 _Remember that tiger striped kitten cuddled in Billy's hands. That kitten was relaxed, purring, trusting. Billy didn't hurt that sick kitten, and he won't hurt me._

"What do you want me to do?" Dom asked forgetting everything except the need to hold on to his belief that Billy wouldn't hurt him.

"Brace yourself on my shoulders. I'm going to lift you until you can grab a cedar pole. Use it to help you kneel on my shoulders, then stand on them. From there, you should be able to get out of the kiva without much problem. Okay?"

Dom nodded, gripped Billy's shoulders more tightly and braced himself for whatever might come.

"Not yet," Billy said, stroking Dom's back slowly. "You're shaking too much. Slow down, Honey. You're all right."

"Being p-petted is just go-going to m-make m-m m-more n-nervous."

One eyebrow lifted, but Billy said nothing except, "Hang on. Here we go, and keep your back straight."

Dom didn't understand the last instruction until he felt the brush of Billy's body over his as Billy bent his knees, wrapped his arms around Dom's thighs and straightened, lifting him with in reach of the cedar pole. Billy need not have worried about his back being straight, as Dom's whole body had gone rigid at the intimacy of Billy's powerful arms locked around his thighs, and his head pressed against Dom's abdomen.

"Billy!"

"It's okay, Honey. I've got you."

 _That's the whole problem!_ But Dom had just enough control left not to blurt out his thought.

"Can you grab one of the poles yet?" Billy asked.

Dom pulled his scattering thoughts together, lifted one hand from the corded muscle of Billy's shoulder, and grabbed a cedar pole. It was as hard as Billy, but not nearly as warm.

"Got it."

"Good. Now grab the other pole."

A few seconds, then, "Okay, I've got that one, too."

"Hang on."

Billy moved so quickly that Dom was never sure how he had managed it, but within seconds he was kneeling on Billy's shoulders, using his grip on the poles for balance. Billy's hands were on Dom's hips and Billy's face was-.

 _Don't think about it or you'll fall._

"Steady, Honey, " Billy said in a muffled voice.

"Easy for you to say," Dom muttered through clenched teeth.

He laughed softly.

Dom felt the intimate heat of Billy's breath dampening the fabric of his jeans. Dom panicked wildly as he felt his body begin to respond to Billy’s unconscious touch.

"Oh, God."

"What's wrong?" Billy asked. "Is one of the beams rotten?"

Dom didn't answer. He pulled himself up and out of the kiva before he had a chance to question the shivering sensations that had cascaded through his body or the way his body had began to harden against Billy's lips. Dom scrambled back from the edge and sat hugging himself, feeling flushed and confused.

"Everything okay?" Billy called.

"Yes. No. I-" He clenched his teeth. "Fine. Just fine."

"Get back. I'm coming out."

Dom scooted back away from the hole, wondering how Billy was planning to get out. A few seconds later, two hands closed around a cedar pole. With a grace that startled Dom, Billy chinned himself, held himself one-handed while he grabbed the second pole with his other hand, swung his legs up and levered himself out of the hole with the ease of a gymnast at work on the parallel bars.

"Where did you learn how to do that?" Dom asked.

"Same place I learned to patch up kittens."

"Where was that?"

"Long ago, far away, in another country."

"But where?" Dom persisted. "Why?"

"Commando training."

Dom opened his mouth but, no words came out.

Commando training.

Billy held out his hand to help Dom to his feet. "Lets go, Honey. The sun will be setting soon."

A wild glance at the sky told Dom that Billy was right. The sun would soon slip behind the horizon, leaving him alone in the dark at the ends of the earth with a man who was not only far more powerful than him, but who was trained to be a killer as well.

"You sure you're all right?"" Billy asked, sitting on his heels next to Dom. "If you can't walk, I'll carry you."

Dom flinched away from Billy before he could grab his unraveling courage in both hands. He gave Billy a searching look, but saw no triumph in his expression, no malice, no brute hunger, nothing but polite concern for his welfare. "I can-" Dom's voice broke. He swallowed. "I can walk."

Billy started to reach for Dom, saw him flinch away and dropped his hand. He stood and moved a pace back from Dom.

"Get up. We'll drive back to the ranch after we eat," he said matter-of-factly.

"What? Why?"

"You know why," Billy said, turning away from Dom. "Every time I come close to you, you cringe. You'll feel more at ease with one of the other men."

"No!"

The stark emotion in Dom's voice stopped Billy, and he looked back at Dom.

"Please stay," Dom said quickly. "I trust you more than I've trusted any man since-since I-since he- Billy, please! It's nothing you've done. It's nothing personal. Please believe me."

"It's hard to," Billy said bluntly.

"Then believe this: You're the first man who has touched me in any way for years and it scares me to death because I'm not scared and you're so damned male."

Billy's eyes narrowed. "You're not making much sense."

"I know. I'll get better, I promise."

For a moment, Billy looked at Dom, then he nodded slowly and held out his hand. If Dom stretched, he could take it and help himself up. Dom looked at the lean hand and remembered the strength and lethal skill of the man behind it.

Then Dom took Billy's hand in both of his and pulled himself to his feet.


	11. Western Lovers: Cowboys and Archaeologists

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Billy is a man to be reckoned with. Can Dom heal his wounded soul and his own into the bargain. Could Billy make him forget the bitter lessons of the past?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> As many of you know, Western Lovers is my own particular labour of love, even though in the past it was ostensibly finished, there was always something missing for you the reader. I wanted to remedy that for you. At the end of this posting you will all know all of the Western Lovers family and all of their pasts and secrets. On behalf of all of them and me, I hope you enjoy their story as much as they do.

_  
**FIC: Western Lovers - Cowboys and Archeaologists Chapter 11 Redux (new)**   
_   
  
[   
](http://s265.photobucket.com/albums/ii203/sassypro365/?action=view&current=banforsas.jpg)

**Title:** Western Lovers: Cowboys and Archaeologists  
 **Author:**[](http://sassywitch.livejournal.com/profile)[ **sassywitch**](http://sassywitch.livejournal.com/)  
 **Beta** by the talented [](http://celtprincess13.livejournal.com/profile)[**celtprincess13**](http://celtprincess13.livejournal.com/)  
 **Pairing:** BB/DM  
 **Rating:** NC-17 for the series.  
 **Summary:** Billy is a man to be reckoned with. Can Dom heal his wounded soul and his own into the bargain. Could Billy make him forget the bitter lessons of the past?  
 **Feedback:** Feedback is my writers crack, which is not to be confused at all with plumbers crack.

 **Acknowledgements:** There are so many people that have helped in the creation of the Double L and it’s families. Thank you to [](http://alassenya.livejournal.com/profile)[**alassenya**](http://alassenya.livejournal.com/) for everything, [](http://hisniblets.livejournal.com/profile)[**hisniblets**](http://hisniblets.livejournal.com/) for the dialect help, thanks for [](http://billyhasmyheart.livejournal.com/profile)[**billyhasmyheart**](http://billyhasmyheart.livejournal.com/) for all the research assistance particularly with the bike specs and to [](http://glasgowhobbit.livejournal.com/profile)[**glasgowhobbit**](http://glasgowhobbit.livejournal.com/) for the recipe help. [](http://celtprincess13.livejournal.com/profile)[**celtprincess13**](http://celtprincess13.livejournal.com/) brings you better grammar and punctuation than I ever could. Thank you all, The Double L wouldn’t be the same without any of you. **Disclaimer:** Not at all true in reality. These men whilst adorable and perfectly happy to slash themselves, their actual relationship is something that they only know. This story is adapted from a series of books that I adored when I was younger written by Elizabeth Lowell.

 **Word Count:**  
 **Previous Posting:** [Chapter 1|](http://sassyfic.livejournal.com/30798.html)[Chapter 2|](http://sassyfic.livejournal.com/31180.html)[Chapter 3|](http://sassyfic.livejournal.com/31243.html)[Chapter 4|](http://sassyfic.livejournal.com/31548.html)[Chapter 5|](http://sassyfic.livejournal.com/31807.html)[Chapter 6|](http://sassyfic.livejournal.com/32095.html)[Chapter 7|](http://sassyfic.livejournal.com/32360.html)[Chapter 8|](http://sassyfic.livejournal.com/32545.html)[ Chapter 9||](http://sassyfic.livejournal.com/32897.html)[ Chapter 10|](http://sassyfic.livejournal.com/33120.html)

 **Posted to:** [](http://fellowshippers.livejournal.com/profile)[**fellowshippers**](http://fellowshippers.livejournal.com/) , [](http://monaboyd.livejournal.com/profile)[**monaboyd**](http://monaboyd.livejournal.com/) and [](http://sassyfic.livejournal.com/profile)[**sassyfic**](http://sassyfic.livejournal.com/)

 **Header Art:** Courtesy of the incredibly talented [](http://loki-girl.livejournal.com/profile)[**loki_girl**](http://loki-girl.livejournal.com/).

 **Authors Notes:** As many of you know, Western Lovers is my own particular labour of love, even though in the past it was ostensibly finished, there was always something missing for you the reader. I wanted to remedy that for you. At the end of this posting you will all know all of the Western Lovers family and all of their pasts and secrets. On behalf of all of them and me, I hope you enjoy their story as much as they do.

  
Billy sat on his bed roll, his fingers scratching idly at the thin tee shirt he wore. Leaning back against the sandstone wall behind him he rested his arms on his knees, his jeans bunched loosely on his hips the top two buttons unfastened, his only concession to dressing after crawling out of his bed roll. The moon hung high in the sky but was slowly starting its descent into morning, but Billy had given up on sleeping before it even reached it’s zenith. For a brief moment he had thought about taking the guitar the grad students kept in camp and losing himself in some music but he couldn’t bring himself to leave his bedroll, or to wake his companion with the noise.

An arms distance away Dom lay sleeping soundly, his breath wuffling in a gentle snore as he slept. Dom had suffered no after effects from his fall into the Kiva, but Billy certainly had. He hadn’t had a decent night’s sleep since. When his eyes closed and he relaxed enough to sleep, his mind was filled with the images of Dom falling into the gaping hole that had opened in the hillside.

His lack of sleep annoyed him. He’d spent years, hell, at least half of his life deliberately being his own man and not letting people get under his skin, yet in less than one day the young man that slept on the other side of camp had slid right under the indifference he presented to the world. As he had watched the crimson splash of colour disappear into the cool caramel expanse he had thought he had lost Dom. In that second, his mouth had gone dry and a cold fist of pain had closed itself around his chest. The last time he had felt that sort of loss had been the day that he had buried his mother.

He flopped back against his bedroll and covered his eyes with his forearm, trying in vain to close the memories from his mind.

 _December 21, 1987_

It was a miserable day. A slurry of icy sleet fell from heavy Glasgow skies onto paved streets, carrying the refuse of lives down the gutter. The swirling torrent of dirty water ran in rivulets across cracked pavements and into the seemingly forgotten cemetery. Two men in dark blue coveralls stood under a canopy stretched between a small copse of leafless trees. They leaned lazily on long handled shovels smoking as they waited for the rain to stop. They didn’t care how long it rained, they were paid by the hour to stand and smoke until the deluge stopped enough for them to shovel.

Three teenage boys stood in the soaking downpour that fell about them, seemingly oblivious to the freezing sludge that drenched them as they kept a silent vigil at their mother’s grave side.

The smallest, yet oldest of the trio stood in the centre, his shoulder length ginger hair pressed slickly to his head, the rain disguising the stream of unbidden silent tears that coursed down his cheeks and he hugged his youngest brother. His hand automatically stroked his brother’s back as he gazed unseeing at the gaping hole, his mind filled with new concerns of how he was going to keep their family together.

The tallest, stood slightly distant to his siblings, his strawberry blonde hair dark against his scalp as he waited silently. His concentration was on his elder brother more than he would ever admit, uncomfortable with the tears he would see but never mention, concerned what their mothers death would do to him. Yet at the same time he was filled with shame that he wasn’t as upset as either of his siblings at the death of their mother. Sure he was sad, but honestly, she had stopped being a real mother many years ago, in some ways he was almost glad that she had finally passed, at least now she was at peace.

The youngest stood, his shoulders stooped and his head tilted to the side as he rested it upon his eldest brother’s head and shamelessly sobbed, his dark hair dripping rivulets of chilled water unnoticed down his brother’s neck. He was trying to be as strong as his brothers but he missed his mother.

They all looked into the grave; the simple wooden coffin that had been lowered into the bottom of the hole was barely covered by the slurry of mud that had been pushed into the hole before the downpour had gotten worse.

“We should go.” David spoke softly, breaking the solemn silence that enshrouded them.

“In a bit.” Billy murmured, his hand stroking Craig’s back slowly.

“Getting sick won’t bring her back, Bill.” David shrugged, but remained at their sides, waiting patiently for his brothers to complete their vigil.

None of them moved until after the shower had stopped and the gravediggers returned to their work. The boys shabby suits and cheap overcoats were soaked through, their teeth chattering with cold as they waited.

Only when the grave was filled with the dark mud scooped from the mound of dirt at its side did the boys begin to move away. The two younger boys walked together slightly ahead , David’s arm looped loosely around his baby brother’s shoulders, while the smaller of the three lingered at the graveside for a few moments, plucking a tattered red plastic rose from his pocket and pressed it to the top of the mound of dirt. On his way out of the flat he had taken one of the flowers from the plastic arrangement that his mother had always kept beside his father’s picture. He stopped briefly to press his fingers against the top of the plain cement headstone that marked his namesake’s resting place.

For five years their mother had been alone, and as he grew older Billy had finally come to understand that was what had killed her. His mother needed a lover. As embarrassing as it was for him to think about he realized that it was not just physically she needed a partner, she also needed to be part of a couple. He knew that she loved them and they loved her back, but for Mary it wasn’t nearly enough for her. Each day she had spent without the love of a man took her a little closer to her end. As much as he could understand what she needed he still couldn’t understand why her sons weren’t enough for her.

Billy had done everything he could for her, but she had just faded away. He spent hours sitting in the room with her, talking to her while he did his homework but he couldn’t make her want to stay with them. The last time he had spoken to her before she had fallen ill, he had promised to do the very best he could to lay her to rest beside her first true love, the father he had never known. Bidding his father to keep his mother happy, Billy strode slowly away from the graves, the waterlogged vinyl of his shoes squelching noisily.

So, two bus rides and a walk in the teeming rain later they had made their way home from the cemetery and her funeral.

At her death Billy had discovered that they were, thanks to his parent’s life insurance, moderately wealthy. Not rich by anyone’s standards, but if they lived frugally and he took a second part-time job, they could get by without him leaving school, and maybe even fulfill his mother’s wish of her son’s all getting a college education. Now all he had to do was convince the dour faced woman he had spoken to at the hospital that he could care for Craig and keep them all together.  
Following his brothers slowly towards their flat, Billy let his thoughts wander. After he had gotten home from the undertaker’s office yesterday Craig and David had a surprise waiting for him. While he had been away they had aired out mama’s bedroom, packing up her clothing and toiletries for goodwill, putting all her trinkets into a suitcase for storage and moved his belongings into her room.  
For the first time in his 17 years he had his own room, but that would mean nothing if he couldn’t keep them all together.

 _Today_

Billy sighed, pushing memories away. He rolled lithely to his feet and padded barefoot to the other end of the camp, into a small alcove they had appointed the camp bathroom. Relieving himself, he turned back to the camp and started preparations for their day.  



	12. Western Lovers: Cowboys and Archeaologists 9/30

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Billy is a man to be reckoned with. Can Dom heal his wounded soul and his own into the bargain. Could Billy make him forget the bitter lessons of the past?

_**Western Lovers: Cowboys and Archaeologists (9/30)**_  
  


[](http://photobucket.com)

  
 **Title:** Western Lovers: Cowboys and Archeaologists 9/30  
 **Author:** [](http://sassywitch.livejournal.com/profile)[**sassywitch**](http://sassywitch.livejournal.com/)  
 **Pairing:** BB/DM with a smattering of VM/LT and DW/OB  
 **Rating:** NC-17, to be on the safe side.  
 **Summary:** Billy is a man to be reckoned with. Can Dom heal his wounded soul and his own into the bargain. Could Billy make him forget the bitter lessons of the past?  
 **Feedback:** Feedback is my writers crack, which is not to be confused at all with plumbers crack.  
 **Disclaimer:** Not at all true in reality. These men whilst adorable and perfectly happy to slash themselves, their actual relationship is something that they only know. This story is adapted from a series of books that I adored when I was younger written by Elizabeth Lowell.  
 **Word Count:** 2950  
 **Header Art:** Courtesy of the incredibly talented [](http://loki-girl.livejournal.com/profile)[**loki_girl**](http://loki-girl.livejournal.com/)  
 **Previous Chapters:** can be found [Here](http://www.livejournal.com/tools/memories.bml?user=sassywitch&keyword=Western+Lovers&filter=all)  
 **A/N:** A huge thank you to [](http://dylan-dufresne.livejournal.com/profile)[**dylan_dufresne**](http://dylan-dufresne.livejournal.com/) for the inspiration, the prodding and the beta. My grammar sucks so she had to suffer it so nobody else would. Next chapter on Monday, consider this a tiny little angst warning for this chapter and chapter 10.

~*~*~*~*~

While the night wind blew outside, Dom sat in the old ranch house, staring at a potshard in his palm, remembering the incident two weeks ago when Billy had dropped down into the darkness beside him and lifted him to the solid ground above. The tactile memories had haunted him… Billy's hand searching carefully over his body, his easy strength when he lifted Dom, his face pressed so intimately against Dom while he climbed back into sunshine, and the feeling of Billy's hot breath ghosting against his denim covered skin. And then there was the feelings that had coursed through his body at the thought of Billy's breath against his bare skin.

Shivering, remembering, Dom saw nothing of the shard in his palm. The memories resonated in his body as much as in his mind, sending sensations rippling through him, heat and cold, uneasiness and curiosity, a strange hunger to touch Billy in return, to know his textures as well as he knew his own.

I'm going crazy.

Once more, Dom tried to concentrate on the shard lying across his palm, but all he could think about was the instant when he had taken Billy's hand between his own and pulled himself to his feet. He thought he had felt Billy's fingers caressing him in the very act of releasing him, but the touch had stopped before he could be certain.

And since then, Billy had been the heart, soul and body of asexual politeness. At the site, he treated Dom with the casual camaraderie of an older brother. It was the same at the ranch. At night, they sorted shards together, spoke in broken phrases about missing angles, notched curves, discussed the weather or the ranch or the progress of the dig in slightly more complete sentences - and he never touched Dom, even when he was seated next to him at the dinner table, or passed a box of shards to him, or when he looked over Dom's shoulder to offer advice about a missing piece of a pot. Billy had every excuse to crowd Dom's personal space from time to time, but he didn't.

For the first few days, Billy's distance had reassured Dom. Then it had piqued his interest. By the fourteenth day, it outright annoyed him.

 _You'd think I didn't shower often enough._

"Did you say something?" Billy asked from across the table.

Appalled, Dom realized that he had muttered his thought aloud.

"Nothing," he said quickly.

A few moments later, Dom put his shard aside and stood up, feeling restless. As it often did, his glance strayed to the man who shared so many days and evenings and nights with him.

The nights were perfectly proper, of course. Some outlaw. The Double L's Ramrod is nothing, if not proper.

Broodingly, Dom watched Billy's fingers turning potshards over and over, handling the fragile pottery deftly, running his fingertips over the edges as though to learn the tiniest contours by touch alone. Dom did that same thing when he worked, a kind of tactile exploration that was as much part of his nature as his expressive eyes, and his fear of strong men.

But he no longer feared men. At least, not all men. Viggo still startled him from time to time with his sheer size and the silence of his movement, yet Dom had no doubt that Liv was perfectly safe with her chosen man, as was little Milo with his father, a father chosen by fate rather than by the baby. Not all children were that lucky in their parents. Dom hadn't been. Nor were all wives as fortunate in their husbands. Dom's mother certainly had not been safe or cherished by her man.

Restlessly, Dom ran his fingertips over the tabletop, feeling the grit that rubbed off the shards, no matter how carefully they were handled. He smoothed his fingers over the table's surface again and again, watching Billy's hands, fascinated by their combination of power and precision.

 _What would it feel like to be touched with such care?_

The glittering sensation that shivered through Dom at his silent question made him feel almost weak. He wanted to be touched by Billy, but it was impossible. Billy was a strong man. He would want more than touching, gentleness, cherishing, holding.

 _He knew Billy. He wouldn't take what wasn't offered, would he? He's different from other men. But he can't be, all strong, hard men have always been the same._

With a small sound, Dom looked away from Billy, and didn't notice the sudden intensity in Billy's eyes as he watched Dom over the pot he was assembling from ancient shards.

"Mmrreeow?"

The polite query was followed by another, less polite one. Dom hurried to the window, grateful to have a distraction from his unexpected, unnerving attraction to Billy.

"Hello, you old reprobate," Dom said, opening the window and holding out his arms.

On a gust of air, the tiger striped cat flowed into Dom's arms. Pounce's fur smelled cool, fresh, almost washed by the clean wind. Smiling and rubbing his face against the cat's sleek head, Dom settled back into his chair as Pounce's rumbling, vibrating approval rippled out, blending with the fitful sound of the wind.

"King of the Double L, aren't you?" Dom asked, smiling. "Think you can trade a few dead mice for some time in my lap, hmmm?"

Billy looked up again. Dom was kneading gently down the cat's big back, rubbing his cheek against Pounce's head while Pounce rubbed his head against Dom's in turn. The old mouser's purring was like continuous, distant hunger, but it was Dom's clear enjoyment of the cat's textures and responses that brought every one of Billy's masculine senses alert. He had kept his distance from Dom very carefully since the first day on the site; he would never forget the raw terror that he had seen in Dom's eyes the first time he had reached for Dom in the gloom of the ancient kiva.

No matter how carefully Dom tried to conceal it, Billy sensed that he was still afraid of him. Perhaps it was because the first time he had seen Billy, he was the victor in a brief, brutal fight. Perhaps it was the way he had handled the pothunters.

Perhaps it was his commando training. Perhaps it was simply himself, Billy Boyd, a man who never had worn well on people - and vice versa. An outlaw, not a lover or a husband.

Pounce purred loudly from Dom's lap, proclaiming his satisfaction with life, himself and the man who was stroking his sleek body.

"If I thought you'd give me a rubdown like that, I'd go out and catch mice, too."

Dom gave Billy a startled look.

"Don't know that I'd eat them though," Billy added blandly, measuring a shard against the bright lamplight. "A man has to draw the line somewhere."

Uncertainly, Dom laughed. The idea of Billy purring beneath his hands made odd sensations shiver through him. Surely Billy was joking, but if he weren't….

Shadows of old fear rose in Dom. When he spoke, his voice was tight, and the words came out in a torrent, for he was afraid of being interrupted before he got everything said that had to be said.

"You'd be better off eating Liv's wonderful chicken than trading dead mice for a pat from me. I'm not the sensual type. Sex is for other people. In the old jargon, I'm frigid, if frigid defines a person who can live very well without sex."

Billy looked up sharply, caught as much by the palpable resonances of fear in Dom's voice as he was by his words. He started to speak, but Dom was still talking, words spilling out like water from a river finally freed of its lid of winter ice.

"A man must have thought up the word frigid," Dom continued quickly. "A reasonable person would just say they aren't a masochist, that they feel no need of pain, self inflicted or otherwise. But no matter what label you put on it - and me - the result is the same. Thanks, but no thanks."

The words echoed in the quiet room. Their defensiveness made Dom cringe inside, but he wouldn't have taken back a single, blunt syllable. Billy had to know.

"I don't recall asking you for sex," Billy said.

For a long minute, Dom's hands kneaded through Pounce's fur, soothing the cat and himself at the same time, drawing forth a lifting and falling of rumbling purrs.

"No, you haven't," Dom said finally, sighing, feeling himself relax now that the worst of it was over. Billy knew. He could never accuse him now. "But I've learned the hard way that it's better to be honest, then to be quiet, and then be accused of being a tease."

"Don't worry Dom. You've got 'no trespassing' signs posted all over you. Any man who doesn't see them would have to be as blind as you are."

"What?"

Billy looked up from the shards he had assembled.

"You're stone blind to your own basic nature. You're not frigid, Dom. You have a rare sensuality. You drink storm winds and nuzzle Milo's tiny hands, and touch pieces of pottery with fingertips that are so sensitive you don't even have to look to tell what kind of edge there is. You rub that old tomcat until he's a vibrating, puddle of pleasure, and you enjoy it just as much as he does. That's all sensuality is - taking pleasure in your own senses. And sex, good, bone-melting, mind shattering sex, is the most pleasure your senses can stand."

Dom sat transfixed, caught within the emerald green clarity of Billy's eyes watching him, the smooth, whiskey certainty of his voice caressing Dom. Then Billy looked back to the shards, releasing Dom from the perception of his gaze.

"Did a new box come in from the site?" Billy asked in a calm voice, as though they had ever discussed anything more personal than potshards. "I've been waiting for one from 10-B. I think part of this red pot might have washed down to that spot on the grid. A long time ago of course."

His mind in turmoil, Dom grabbed the question, grateful to have something neutral to talk about. "Yes, it's over there. I'll get it."

If Billy noticed the rapid fire style of Dom's speech, he didn't comment.

Releasing a reluctant Pounce, Dom went to the corner of the room where recently cleaned, permanently numbered shards were stored in hope of future assembly. The carton collected from 10-B on the site grid was on top of the pile. Dom brought the box to the long table where Billy worked by the light of a powerful gooseneck lamp.

"Thanks," he said absently. "I don't suppose that there's a piece lying around on top with two obtuse angles and a ragged bit out of the third side?"

"Gray? Corrugated? Black on white?"

"Red."

"Really?" Dom asked excitedly, his emotional confusion forgotten in his passion for his work. Redware was the most unusual of all the Anasazi pottery. It also came from the last period when they inhabited the northern reaches of their homeland. "Do you think we have enough shards to make a whole pot?"

Billy made a rumble that sounded suspiciously like Pounce at his most satisfied. He leaned over, pulled a large carton from beneath the table and folded back the flaps. With gentle care, he lifted pieces of an ancient bowl onto the table. The background color of the pot was brick red, designs in white and black covered the surface, and careful geometrics that spoke of a painstaking artist working patiently over the pot.

A feeling of awe expanded through Dom as he saw the pot lying half mended on the table. Billy had been as patient and painstaking as the original potter; the fine lines where he had glued the shards together were almost invisible.

"You never did tell me why this type of pot is so rare," Billy said, turning aside to the carton of unmatched shards.

"Polychrome pots are usually found south of here," Dom said absently. His hands closed delicately around the base and curving side of the red pot. "Either the potter was an immigrant or the pot was a piece of trade goods. But this pot, plus the surface and regular shape of the sandstone masonry in Arwen Canyon, make it certain that the site is from the Pueblo III period of the Anasazi. Or nearly certain. Since we don't have a time machine, we'll never be one hundred percent positive that we have the true story."

"We know the most important thing."

Dom looked up from the fragment of the past held between his hands.

"They were people like us," Billy said simply with a shrug. "They built, laughed, wept, fought, raised children and died. Most of all, they knew fear."

"Actually," Dom said frowning over the box of shards, "The most recent theory states that the Anasazi moved into their cliff houses for reasons other than fear."

Billy's left eyebrow arched skeptically. "They just liked the view halfway up the cliff, huh?"

"Um, no one said anything about that. The theory just states that we were premature in attributing a fortress mentality to the Anasazi. They could just have been preserving the top of the mesa for crops and didn't build on the canyon bottom because of floods. That left the cliffs themselves for housing."

"What did the professorial types say about the signal towers on top of Mesa Verde? They were used to pass the news of births, right?"

Dom gave Billy a perplexed, sideways look but he appeared to be engrossed in the red potshards Dom was finding and carefully placing in front of him. Already, Billy had found two to glue together, and was positioning a third.

"The towers could have been used to welcome visitors," Dom said neutrally, "Or to show the way up onto the mesas for people who were from other areas."

"People from other areas tend to be strangers, and strangers tend to be unfriendly."

"Perhaps the Anasazi believed that strangers were simply friends they hadn't yet met."

"That would certainly explain how the Anasazi died out so fast," Billy said sardonically.

"In some academic circles, your point of view would be considered philosophically and politically retrograde," Dom said without heat. One of the most pleasurable thing about his time with Billy was the discovery of his agile, wide ranging mind. He had come to look forward to the hours spent sorting shards and talking about the Anasazi almost as much as he had enjoyed working on the site itself. "Here's the shard that goes in the middle."

"Thanks," Billy said "Hang on to it until the glue dries on these two. Whatever made the professors give up on good old common sense to explain the Anasazi cliff dwelling?"

"Such as?"

"Birds don't fly because they like the view up there. Birds fly because cats can't."

Dom smiled. "Don't tell Pounce."

"I don't have to. He figured that one out all by himself, which is more than I can say for whoever dreamt up that new age fertilizer about cliff houses being invented for any reason other than self defense. In a word, fear."

"Logical, but it doesn't explain why there was no increase in burials about the time the Anasazi abandoned the mesa tops and took up living in the cliffs."

"Burials?"

"Self-defense indicates war," Dom explained. "War indicates wounding and death. Death-"

"Leads to burials," Billy interrupted.

"Right. Even around the time the Anasazi disappeared altogether, there was no increase in burials. Therefore, the theory that hostile tribes forced the Anasazi into cliff houses has a big flaw. No extra deaths, no war. Simple."

"More like simpleminded. Those theorists need to pull their heads out of their asses and have a reality check."

"What do you mean?"

"Only winners bury their dead."

The flatness in Billy's voice made a chill move over Dom's skin. "You sound very certain," he said softly.

"I've been there. That's as certain as it gets."

"There?"

"On the losing side. It hasn't changed all that much over the centuries. I doubt that it ever will. Pain, fear, death, and not enough people left to mourn or bury the dead. But there are always enough vultures."

Billy's narrowed eyes were like splinters of clear, green glass. Dom could not bear to look at them and think of what atrocities they had seen.

Billy turned and searched through the box of potshards, and when he looked up again, his expression was once more relaxed.

"In any case," Billy continued, "Anybody who's read a little biology could tell your fancy theorists that building Stone Age apartment houses halfway up sheer cliffs took an immense amount of time and energy, which meant that the need driving the society also had to be immense. Survival is the most likely explanation, and the only animal that threatens man's survival is man himself." Billy smiled grimly. "That hasn't changed either."

"Fear." Dom understood Billy's logic more keenly than he wanted to admit even to himself.

"Don't knock it. No animal would survive without it, including man." Billy held a shard up to the light, shrugged and tried it anyway. It fit. "Maybe the Anasazi were no longer actively involved in war. Maybe they just feared it to the point that they retreated to a hole in the cliffs and pulled the hole in after them." Billy looked up. "You can understand that kind of fear, can't you? It's what drew you to the Anasazi in the first place. Like you, they built a shell around themselves to wall out the world. And then, they began to shrink and die inside that shell."

Dom concentrated on two shards that had no chance of fitting, unwilling to look up into green eyes that saw too much.

Billy waited a few moments, sighed and continued. "When you retreat to a stone cliff that's accessible only by one or two eyelash trails that a nine-year-old with a sharp stick could defend, it's probably because you don't have much more than nine-year-olds left to defend the village."

"But there's no hard evidence of repeated encounters with a warlike tribe," Dom said coolly.

"Isn't there? What does Anasazi mean?" Billy spoke so softly Dom had to strain to hear.

"It's a Navajo word, meaning Ancient Ones, or Those Who came Before."

Billy smiled thinly. "It also means Enemy Ancestor." Billy picked up an oddly shaped shard and stared at it without really seeing it. "I suspect that at the end of a long, hard period, during which they'd had to cope with war or drought or disease, or all three, a kind of madness overtook the northern Anasazi."

The quality of Billy's voice, his brogue rich and thick, rippling with something unspoken, caught Dom's attention.

"What do you mean?" Dom forgot his own self preservation. He forgot not to look into Billy's all-seeing, all-knowing eyes. His desire to see the light burning in the emerald orbs as Billy explained his theories outweighed even Dom's own desire to avoid the clarity of the pain that Billy's insights could bring.

"I think a dark kind of shaman cult overtook them, using up everything the society has and demanding even more. Maybe the fears the shaman cult played on had some basis in reality, or maybe they lived only in the Anasazi's own nightmares." Billy shook his head. "Either way, fear ruled the society. The people retreated to the most impossible places they could reach, and walled themselves in with rooms and held ceremonies in buried kivas. When they ran out of space in the alcoves, they built bigger and bigger kivas along the base of the cliff."

Billy's voice shifted, becoming subtly different, more resonant yet softer as he told of his own Anasazi theories.

"Their rituals became more and more elaborate," Billy continued quietly. "More demanding of people's mental and physical resources. Darker. It's possible for a culture to exist like that, but not for long. It goes against the deepest grain of survival to huddle in a stone crypt."

"Is that what you think happened? The Anasazi died in the city crypts they built for themselves?"

"Some did. Some escaped."

The odd timbre of Billy's voice made the hair on Dom's scalp stir in primal response, the same stirring he had felt with Billy once before, when he had stood on a desolate mesa top and felt centuries like cards being shuffled, revealing glimpses of a time when reality had been very different, and so had he and Billy.

"How did they escape?" Dom asked, his voice strange, even to his own ears.

For a long time there was only silence, punctuated by the sounds of the wind sweeping over the ancient land. Just when Dom had decided that Billy wasn't going to say any more, he began speaking again.

"Another shaman came down from the north, an outlaw shaman with a vision that swept through the Anasazi, a vision that spoke of light as well as darkness, life as well as death." Billy looked up suddenly, catching and holding Dom with eyes as green as the storm tossed ocean. "The Anasazi who believed the outlaw shaman, climbed down out of their beautiful, dangerous, futile cliff cities, and never went back again."  


[Chapter 10](http://community.livejournal.com/monaboyd/1618985.html)


	13. Western Lovers: Cowboys and Archaeologists 10/30

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Billy is a man to be reckoned with. Can Dom heal his wounded soul and his own into the bargain. Could Billy make him forget the bitter lessons of the past?

_**FIC: Western Lovers: Cowboys and Archaeologists (10/30)**_  
  


[](http://photobucket.com)

  
 **Title:** Western Lovers: Cowboys and Archaeologists 10/30  
 **Author:** [](http://sassywitch.livejournal.com/profile)[**sassywitch**](http://sassywitch.livejournal.com/)  
 **Pairing:** BB/DM with a smattering of VM/LT and DW/OB  
 **Rating:** NC-17, to be on the safe side.  
 **Summary:** Billy is a man to be reckoned with. Can Dom heal his wounded soul and his own into the bargain. Could Billy make him forget the bitter lessons of the past?  
 **Feedback:** Feedback is my writers crack, which is not to be confused at all with plumbers crack.  
 **Disclaimer:** Not at all true in reality. These men whilst adorable and perfectly happy to slash themselves, their actual relationship is something that they only know. This story is adapted from a series of books that I adored when I was younger written by Elizabeth Lowell.  
 **Word Count:** 2950  
 **Header Art:** Courtesy of the incredibly talented [](http://loki-girl.livejournal.com/profile)[**loki_girl**](http://loki-girl.livejournal.com/)  
 **Previous Chapters:** can be found [Here](http://www.livejournal.com/tools/memories.bml?user=sassywitch&keyword=Western+Lovers&filter=all)  
 **A/N:** A huge thank you to [](http://dylan-dufresne.livejournal.com/profile)[**dylan_dufresne**](http://dylan-dufresne.livejournal.com/) for the inspiration, the prodding and the beta. My grammar sucks so she had to suffer it so nobody else would. This chapter is angstalicous,but really, it will all be better in the end. Honest.

Yes I know I said Wednesday, but yesterday it came to my attention that one of my wonderful, loyal readers was having a bad day. For some bizarre reason she seems to have an affection for this fic. Consider this my little contribution to making today a better day, sweetie.

~*~*~*~*~

Viggo leaned toward little Milo, smiling, speaking in a deep gentle voice to the baby who studied him so intently.

"Definitely your eyes, Liv," Viggo said, running his fingertip over his wife's cheek.

"The mouth is yours, though," Liv said, rubbing her cheek against his hand, her free hand moving to cup his face, her thumb tracing his lips as he spoke.

"We're in trouble then. He'll have half the state mad at him as soon as he learns to talk."

Liv laughed softly, brushed her lips over Viggo's palm and settled back against his chest, causing the nursing shawl slipped to one side, revealing the pale, milk swollen curve of her breast. With a slow caress, Viggo adjusted the shawl, his fingers lingering under the soft cotton fabric, then resumed the gentle back and forth motion of the big rocking chair he had made before Milo had been born.

"Hi," Liv said, looking up as Dom came from the kitchen into the living room, a bottle of chilled water in his hand. "Billy was asking about you a few minutes ago. Something about a box from 11-C?"

"More red shards. He hopes. He has this theory about where the rest of the red pot is. So far he has been right. His intuition with the pots is uncanny."

A night of broken sleep and restless dreams had convinced Dom that Billy had been right about more than the pot, but he didn't know how to reopen the subject with him, any more than he had known how to respond last night when Billy had spoken about the fear and the Anasazi and one Dominic Monaghan. Instead of speaking then, Dom had handed Billy another shard, and the conversation had disintegrated into elliptical phrases, describing pieces of broken pottery.

"Is Billy in the bunkhouse?" Dom asked.

"He's in the barn, checking on a lame horse," Viggo replied absently, his eyes lingering on his son's suckling mouth.

Dom hid his feeling of disappointment. Whether in Arwen Canyon or at the ranch headquarters, he looked forward to the evenings with Billy, despite the tension that came from Dom's increasing awareness of him as a man. Dom noticed him in ways that he had never noticed any man at all. The soft green shimmer of his eyes, the scruffy beard that he let gather on his skin before he shaved, the springy thatch of softly curling ginger hair that showed at his open collar, the endless flex and play of muscles beneath his skin, and the easy stride of a man who was at home in and confident of his body.

But most of all, Dom noticed the frank masculinity of Billy, the male sensuality that was both subtle and pervasive. It compelled Dom's senses in the same way that Billy's intelligence compelled his mind, and his innate gentle nature compelled his emotions. Dom couldn't ignore the gentle, caring nature that Billy couldn't hide.

"If you see Billy," Dom said to Liv, "Tell him I've cleaned the calcium deposits from the 11-C shards, given them permanent labels, and they're ready for his magic touch."

"Sure. Want to stay for pie? We're having some as soon as we put our greedy son to bed."

"No thanks. Your cooking is straining the seams of my jeans as it is," Dom complained good-naturedly." It's getting indecent."

"Haven't heard any complaints about the fit of your jeans," Viggo drawled.

"Viggo," Liv chided him, laughing as she noticed Dom's cheeks flushing pink.

"Well, have you heard Billy complaining?" he asked innocently before switching his attention back to Milo. "Hurry up son, your old man is ready for desert."

Liv laughed and murmured something Dom couldn't hear. Silently, he retreated from the living room doorway, heading for the kitchen. It wasn't that he felt unwelcome, for he knew that the opposite was the case. Liv and Viggo loved to question Dom about the progress of the dig and the pots that he and Billy together had proven to be so adept at assembling from shards. It was just that he wasn't sure he could look at Viggo and Liv and their baby without letting his own hunger show.

 _What a pity it takes a committed relationship to have a baby. What a pity he'd have to trust a man to even begin to make his richest dreams possible._

It wasn't the first time the thought had occurred to Dom, but his prolonged exposure to the Mortensen's was only increasing the strength of his yearning for a family of his own. The happy loving family he had never had, and thought never existed. Tonight it had shaken him, making it hard for him to think.  
But then that wasn't new either. Dom hadn't been thinking too well around Billy lately. A look from him, a phrase, a slight lift of the corner of his mouth and Dom would begin thinking all over again how gentle he had been with the kitten, how patient he was with the fragile brittle shards, how easy and yet how exciting he was to be with. How much Billy had slipped under his hard won defenses. How Billy wasn't a strong man any more, he was simply Billy.

 _Stop it. Next thing you know you'll be asking him to kiss you._

A curious sensation prickled through Dom, making him shiver lightly. He wasn't sure what it was that had caused his reaction. He knew what it wasn't, however.

It wasn't fear.

Dom let himself out into the night. Overhead, the Milky Way was a river of light, flowing silently across the sky. There was no moon to pale the glitter of the stars, no clouds to blur the razor edges of Mortensen Ridge's silhouette. Nothing moved but the wind. It infused the night, filling it with whispers that could have been his own thoughts, or echoes of ancient Anasazi prayers chanted to unknown gods.

When Dom opened the door to the old ranch house, Pounce materialized from the nearby bushes and slipped into the house ahead of him. Smiling, Dom closed the door, bent down and lifted the big tomcat into his arms.

"Hello Pounce. How was mouse hunting tonight?"

The cat purred and began kneading Dom's chest.

"That good huh?" Dom murmured, rubbing the supple body and sleek fur. "Then I won't bother putting out that dry cat food Liv gave me yesterday."

Pounce purred his agreement.

"Yeah that's what she said. You only eat the dry stuff when nothing else is available."

Sure enough, Pounce ignored the kibble that Dom prepared with one hand, while he held on to the cat with the other. Even a saucer of milk didn't interest him. All he wanted was what he was getting – a chance to snuggle with his favorite human being.

Carrying Pounce, Dom walked through the workroom to his bedroom. The carefully made bed looked uninviting. It was too early to sleep. Even if the hour had been right, his frame of mind was not. He was too restless to sleep.

Unfortunately, he was also too restless to work on the shards. He tried, but for once, the lure of putting an ancient puzzle together couldn't hold his attention. After fitting a few pieces together, Dom turned off the big gooseneck lamp and sat at the table with no more illumination than what was provided by the lamp in the far corner of the room. The shadows cast by that lamp were soft and inviting, making velvet distinctions between light and dark.

Pounce leaped into Dom's lap and meowed in soft demand. Absently, Dom stroked the cat, drawing forth a ripple of purrs, and for a long time there was no other sound. Then a knock came on the front door and Billy called out. Hearing Billy's growling accent sent another curious frisson through Dom.

"I'm in the workroom," Dom answered.

Dom's voice was unusually husky, but the words carried well enough. The door opened and closed, and Billy walked into the room. With a gesture that had become familiar to Dom, he removed his hat and set it on the small table beneath the lamp.

"That old mouser must think he's died and gone to heaven," Billy said.

The corner of his mouth tugged up, sending another glimmer of heat through Dom.

"Did you mean what you said?" Dom asked before he could think of reasons to be silent.

"I always mean what I say. When it comes to you and that damned cat, I'm certain."

Dom took a deep breath. "Would you really trade places with Pounce?"

This time the grin at the corner of Billy's mouth expanded into a true smile. "Why? You have some mice that he's too lazy to catch?"

Dom's lips tried to smile, but were trembling too hard. He could barely find the courage to force out his next question.

"Would you really like to be touched by me?" Dom asked. "I mean, do I ….attract you?"

"Sure," Billy said offhandedly, reaching for the switch on the gooseneck lamp.

"Would you….kiss me?" Fear had stolen the moisture from Dom's mouth as he whispered his request.  
Billy's hand froze in midair. Amusement vanished from his expression. His eyes narrowed until there was little left but a green glitter as he turned and looked at the man who was only a few feet away.

"You're serious, aren't you?" he said.  
Dom nodded, because his throat was too tight, his mouth to dry to force words between his lips.

"What happened to all the 'No Trespassing' signs?"

Dom opened his mouth. No words came from his constricted throat. He licked his lips. Billy watched the motion with a heavy-lidded sensual intensity that would have frightened Dom once. Now it was a relief. It gave Dom the courage to put into words the realization that had been growing in his mind for a long time.

"Watching Viggo and Liv and their baby has made me understand that I'm missing something wonderful and – and vital." Dom's voice shifted, becoming even lower, huskier. He spoke swiftly, as though afraid of being interrupted, and then not having the courage to continue. "But until I get over being afraid of men, I won't have a chance for the kind of life I want. Men want sex. I have to be able to give a man what he wants in order to get what I want. The only way I can have a child is to adopt. To adopt, I need to be in a committed relationship. To do that, I need to be able to give a man what he wants."

Billy's left eyebrow rose in a wicked arch. "Not all men want the same thing, Honey."

Silky blonde hair flicked across his forehead as Dom shook his head vigorously. "Yes. Yes they do." He took a fast harsh breath, trying to control his nervousness. "So I have to start somewhere. A kiss seems a logical beginning."

"Why me?"

Dom looked away, unable to bear the emerald clarity of Billy's eyes.

"Because I-I trust you," he said, his voice uneven. "I've seen you handle kittens and delicate pieces of pottery. You're as gentle as you are strong. When I was trapped in the kiva, I was helpless, completely at your mercy. You could have done anything, but what you did was pull me out, comfort me and take care of me. Never once did you so much as hint that I owed you thanks, much less the use of my body for sex."

Unwavering green eyes watched Dom. "And now you want me to kiss you?"

Closing his eyes, Dom nodded.

"Despite your fear of men?" Billy added.

Again, he nodded. Then, in a whispered rush Dom said, "I like you Billy. I know I could bear being kissed by you, maybe even learn to enjoy it, but the thought of any other man makes me – cold."

A visible shudder of fear and revulsion went through Dom. Billy saw it, but said nothing.

  
"Anyway," Dom added with desperate calm, "If you know going in that all it's going to be is a kiss, you won't push for more will you? If I'm honest?" Dom opened his eyes and looked at Billy with unconscious pleading. "I'm not a tease. Truly. It's just that I can't bear being touched."

"What happened?" Billy asked calmly. "Why do you have such a poor opinion of sex in general, and of men in particular? What makes you afraid that every man you kiss will demand sex?"

"Because it's true."

"You don't believe that."

"The hell I don't," Dom said, his voice low and flat.

Billy stared at Dom. All Dom's softness and unconscious pleading was gone, all hope, all color, and what was left was bleak acceptance that made his voice as flat as the line of his mouth.

"Look," Billy said reasonably. "No man worthy of the name is going to share a few kisses and then demand a turn in the sack."

Dom shrugged, the movement was tight, jerky, saying more than words about the tension within him, a tension that had been pulling him apart for far too many years.

"Maybe you're right," Dom said. Then he made an angry, anguished sound. Years of bitterness burst out in a torrent of words. "But the only way to find out which men are decent is to try the kisses, all the while praying very hard that when the time comes he'll take no for an answer, because if he doesn't, he's bigger than you are, stronger and you've been dating him for months and no-one on earth will believe that he forced you."

"You're acting as though all men-"

"Not ALL men," Dom interrupted savagely. "But too damn many. More than a third of all women have their first sexual experience as the result of rape. And lets not even go to the gay statistics."

"What?"

"Rape, Billy." Dom said "I'm not talking about being beaten senseless or having a knife at your throat until the rapist is finished, although God knows I talked to too many that got initiated that way, in outright violence."

Dom's breath pushed in and out of his lungs harshly, but he gave Billy no chance to speak. "I'm not even talking about incest. I'm talking about dumb, middle class bunnies who believe that no means no, who believe that the boy they've been dating for three months won't use his strength against his boyfriend, won't keep pushing and pushing and pushing him for sex, taking off his clothes while he says no, putting his hands where they shouldn't be, even when he tries to push them away, and each time they're alone, he pushes harder and harder, until finally, he was holding me down, telling me all the while that it was okay, that guys all did it all the time, he'd still love me in the morning, in fact he'd love me more than ever, even after he'd fucked me dry…"

"Dom," Billy said his voice low and shocked, his accent strong, almost unintelligible, his anger a tangible force inside him.

Dom didn't even hear him. "And I was too well brought up to claw and scream and kick, and above all, besides I couldn't believe Ethan wouldn't stop. Nice middle class boys don't get raped by their nice middle class boyfriends. He had stopped before. He would stop this time. He had to. He simply had to." Dom paused, drawing a harsh breath into his lungs." God help me, I still didn't believe it when he was finished and I was bleeding. And then he was zipping up his pants and suggesting we have a burger and some fries before we went back to his apartment to do it some more."

Dom blinked, shuddered again, and made a broken sound. "Twice, he did that to me, and to this day, Ethan doesn't understand why I broke off our relationship. He thought we had had good, consensual sex. The last time I talked to him, he got mad and said if I didn't want sex, I shouldn't ask for it by dressing provocatively, or have been working out, or wearing cologne, and I shouldn't make out at all. I was a good, middle class boy, so I believed him. I believed it had been my fault. That maybe, just maybe, he was right. I should stop behaving like I was enjoying it. How the fuck do you do that, when the only reaction I had given was begging him to stop?"

"Dom. No." Billy almost begged for him to stop remembering. Billy didn't need to know any more, because the images Dom's broken voice were painting were enough, and Billy could see each memory tearing Dom to pieces. The thought of anyone, let alone his gentle, tender Honey, hurt and bleeding, used for a bigger, but lesser man's pleasure, was abhorrent to Billy.

"It hurt so much." Dom spoke flatly. Trapped in his past and his pain, Dom's eyes glimmered with tears. Billy no longer existed for Dom, as the horrific memories of his initiation into adulthood played out all over again in his head. "I was terrified. He didn't waste any time with making sure I was ready for him, or even wanted him, for that matter. I was seventeen, and he knew I was a virgin, yet he rolled me over, pulled my pants down and rammed himself into my body. All he wanted was satisfaction. He didn't care. Men never care."

Pounce made a soft sound of complaint and leapt to the floor, sensing the tension in Dom. He didn't notice the cat's absence.

Dom's whole posture changed, his long arms folded around himself and his shoulders slumped. Voice low, and filled with torment and bitterness, Dom's eyelids flicked quickly as he fought tears and watched the ground. His mind scrolled through his memories painfully, breath hitching painfully as his body relived his pain.

He flinched, every breath, every trembling movement reminding him of the pain he endured with every forceful thrust. Struggling only made it worse. Screams only excited Ethan more. Dom's thoughts moved to self recriminations and blame. _If I'd had enough guts to struggle, he would have put me in hospital, I could have told someone, it would have all been over._ A shudder tore through Dom, and he shook his head, dragging himself back from the dark memories he despised. He looked up, his glistening eyes steel hard as he met Billy's gaze. "Don't tell me men aren't cruel and selfish. I know. My body will tell you how cruel."

Tears began to trickle from their tenuous hold on thick, dark lashes as Dom realized the extent of his revelations. Ashamed of his own inability to deal with his emotions in front of Billy, Dom struggled to explain what he saw as his weakness.

"I was seventeen, Billy. I couldn't talk to anyone about it. I had no-one to turn to. I couldn't even see the family doctor, just in case they told my father. My father didn't, still doesn't know that his precious protégé raped his son. Cos you know what? If he even accepted that Ethan fucked men, the whole thing would have somehow been my fault."

Billy watched Dom, staring at his own fingers as he wrung them, memories twisting his nerves to the breaking point. He ached to reach out and hold Dom, offer him the support and acceptance he should have received then. Hands fisted at Billy's sides as a matching ache built in his chest to beat the bastards that had hurt his precious Dom. Instead, he struggled with his own needs to better help Dom.

Dom's hands clenched until his nails dug into his palms, but his voice remained the same, flat and without warmth.

"When I could bring myself to date again – it took more than a year - I was careful not to lead anyone on. A few kisses, that was all, and then only after several dates. It didn't matter. Two of my dates called me a tease. Some called me worse."

Billy, was caught in the moment of shock and blind rage when he had realized why Dom feared men. He heard Dom's words, only at a distance, and his hands clenched and unclenched reflexively as he tried to reason with himself, to drain off the useless rage that was consuming him. Billy's blood ran in his veins like lava, roiling and smoldering with the need to extract retribution for the gentle soul so brutally destroyed. What had happened to Dom had taken place a long time ago. Years.  
But for Billy, it had happened just a few seconds ago.

"None of them ever came back for more than a handful of dates," Dom continued tonelessly, determined to tell Billy everything, so that no question would have to be asked or answered. "Elijah never pushed me. Not once. Not in any way. Eight months later, he asked me to be his partner, and he told me how perfect it would be, two virgins learning together, the ultimate mystery of sex on their marriage night." Dom made a helpless gesture with his right hand. "He was a kind, decent man. I couldn't lie to him."  
When Billy spoke, his voice was as carefully controlled as the coiled strength of his body. "What happened?"

"He tried to believe it wasn't my fault, but when he found I hadn't gone to the police…." The downward curve of Dom's mouth became more pronounced. "We saw each other a few times after that, but it was over."

"Did you love him?"

Slowly, Dom shook his head. "I didn't love Ethan either. I just wanted to believe it was possible to share something beautiful, that a man can be decent and civilized with someone who is weaker than himself."

Dom looked up at Billy for the first time since he had begun talking about his past, his eyes damp.

"Any more questions?"

"Just one."

Taking a deep breath, Dom braced himself. "Go on."

"Do you still want me to kiss you?"

Nervously, Dom smoothed the soft folds of his oversized sweater. He tried to speak, decided he didn't trust his voice, and instead, nodded his head.

"You're sure?" Billy asked gently.

There was no emotion in his voice, no expression on his face, nothing to tell Dom what he was thinking. He was as enigmatic as the windswept night, and like the stars, his eyes were glittering.

"Yes," Dom whispered. "I'm sure."

Billy held out his hand, palm up and fingers uncurled. "Then come to me, Dominic.”

[Chapter 11](http://community.livejournal.com/monaboyd/1619204.html)

  



	14. Western Lovers: Cowboys and Archaeologists 11/30

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Billy is a man to be reckoned with. Can Dom heal his wounded soul and his own into the bargain. Could Billy make him forget the bitter lessons of the past?

_**FIC:Western Lovers:Cowboys and Archaeologists 11/30**_  
  


[](http://photobucket.com)

  
 **Title:** Western Lovers: Cowboys and Archaeologists 11/30  
 **Author:** [](http://sassywitch.livejournal.com/profile)[**sassywitch**](http://sassywitch.livejournal.com/)  
 **Pairing:** BB/DM with a smattering of VM/LT and DW/OB  
 **Rating:** NC-17, to be on the safe side.  
 **Summary:** Billy is a man to be reckoned with. Can Dom heal his wounded soul and his own into the bargain. Could Billy make him forget the bitter lessons of the past?  
 **Feedback:** Feedback is my writers crack, which is not to be confused at all with plumbers crack.  
 **Disclaimer:** Not at all true in reality. These men whilst adorable and perfectly happy to slash themselves, their actual relationship is something that they only know. This story is adapted from a series of books that I adored when I was younger written by Elizabeth Lowell.  
 **Word Count:** 2950  
 **Header Art:** Courtesy of the incredibly talented [](http://loki-girl.livejournal.com/profile)[**loki_girl**](http://loki-girl.livejournal.com/)  
 **Previous Chapters:** can be found [Here](http://www.livejournal.com/tools/memories.bml?user=sassywitch&keyword=Western+Lovers&filter=all)  
 **A/N:** A huge thank you to [](http://dylan-dufresne.livejournal.com/profile)[**dylan_dufresne**](http://dylan-dufresne.livejournal.com/) for the inspiration, the prodding and the beta. My grammar sucks so she had to suffer it so nobody else would.

~*~*~*~*~

Dom trembled at the sound of Billy's voice, a gentle, velvet rasp like a cat's tongue stroking him. For an instant, Dom didn't know if he would have the strength to walk, but even as the thought came, he was walking and closing the small distance that separated him from Billy. He put his hand in Billy's. The warmth of Billy's hard palm was like a flame against trembling, fingers, chilled by nervousness.

Billy held out his other hand, and a moment later, his small fingers were nestled against the back of Dom's hands. Slowly, he lifted Dom's hands to his mouth and breathed warmth over Dom's skin before kissing each of his palms gently. The unexpected caress made Dom's breath break, and before the sweet sensations had run their course through his body, Billy was lowering his hands, releasing Dom from his warmth.

Dom had asked to be kissed, and Billy had kissed him, warm, chaste kisses in the shaking palms of Dom's hands. Dom made a questioning sound that had more disappointment in it than he realized.

"Billy?"

"What?" he asked softly in reply.

"Would you kiss me again?" Dom whispered.

Billy's smile made Dom want to curl up in his arms like a cat.

Wordlessly, Billy held out his hands, and once more felt Dom's long, cool fingers come to rest in the curve of his palms.

"You're so warm," Dom said. He closed his eyes, let out his breath in a long sigh, and a ripple of sensation ran across his skin as he openly savored the simple touch of his skin against Billy's.  
Dom's unguarded, sensual response sent a shock wave of heat through Billy. He hoped Dom had no idea how fiercely he aroused Billy with his unknowing sensuality and haunted eyes, his fit, lithe body concealed beneath a sweater big enough for two men to wear, and his long, elegant hands lying so trustingly in his own.

Billy brought one of Dom's hands to his mouth, brushed a kiss into first one of his palms, and then the other. The tiny sound Dom made at the touch of Billy's lips was as much a reward as the warmth that he could feel stealing softly beneath his skin. Slowly, Billy lifted his head to look at Dom, and realized that Dom was watching him with eyes that were luminous, innocently approving. Then Dom's dark lashes lowered, and he returned the kisses Billy had given him, breathing a caress into the centre of Billy's palm.

"Thank you," Dom whispered.

"My pleasure." Billy's voice was thick and husky with his hunger, as the press of Dom's soft lips against his work roughened skin electrified him.  
Dom searched Billy's face with wide, smoky grey eyes, hardly able to believe what his senses were telling him. Billy had enjoyed the undemanding caresses as much as he had.

"You mean that, don't you?" Dom said finally.

Silently, Billy nodded.

"It's a relief to find a man who doesn't want….everything," Dom said and then sighed.

An odd smile haunted Billy's lips for a moment. "Don't fool yourself, Dom. I want everything, but I'll never _take_ any more than you give me. And I mean give willingly, not because I push you so hard on so many fronts at once that you don't know where to fight first."

"Does that mean you'll kiss me again?" Dom looked up at him from under thick, dark lashes nervously.

"I'll kiss you as many times as you want me to," Billy breathed, his body thrumming with arousal and desire for his Honey.

"And you won't push for more?" Dom lifted his face to look directly into Billy's face.

"No." Billy returned Dom's questioning gaze evenly.

"Even if you get aroused?" The stark question shocked Dom when he heard his own words, but it was too late to call them back.

"Honey," Billy said, his voice rich with rueful laughter, "If you were standing about two inches closer to me, you'd have the answer to your question."

Confusion showed on Dom's face, and without thinking, he looked down Billy's body. The evidence of Billy's arousal was unmistakable, and frankly intimidating, the hard, denim covered ridge of Billy's arousal suddenly alive between them. Dom looked up again, his face suddenly pale.

"Don't worry, Dom," Billy said matter of factly. "I've been that way every night we've sat around talking and sorting through pieces of the past, and more often than not during the days, too."

"You have?" Dom asked faintly, stepping back, shaking his head quickly. "I didn't know."

"I did my best to make sure of that," Billy said dryly. "I'm only pointing it out now so that you'll know you don't have to be afraid of me when I'm aroused."

"But I didn't mean to. Believe me, Billy, I didn't mean anything of the sort!" Dom's hands were wringing together nervously, eyes down turned as he fought with emotions so long feared.

"I know. I can't keep myself from responding to you, Honey, but I can make damn sure I don't act on it." Billy slipped one hand under Dom's chin and tilted his face up to look into his eyes, wincing as Dom flinched at his touch.

"But if I didn't mean to, why…." Dom's voice faded as a thought occurred to him. "Has it been so long since you've had sex?"

Billy looked at Dom's confusion, and didn't know whether to laugh or swear. Very lightly, he stroked his index finger over the inside of Dom's wrist. The touch was gentle, but hardly soothing, and Billy felt Dom's pulse rate accelerate, which made his own quicken in response.

"Dom, I could've had sex five seconds before I walk into a room where you are, and I'd still want you. I admire courage, intelligence, and a sense of humor. It didn't take me long to find out you've got plenty of all three, as well as a fine body you do your very best to hide, and a gently sensuous nature you don't realize you have."

Color crept up Dom's cheeks, but he made no move to separate his hands from Billy's while Billy continued talking to him in his accented, velvet tones that made Dom weak.

"I've wanted you since the first day you were here, when you put your own uneasiness aside and helped me with that kitten."

Dom's eyes widened in surprise.

"I respect a person's right to choose or refuse advances," Billy continued. "You made it clear that you were refusing. You're still making it clear. You're as safe as you want to be with me, no matter what kind of kissing or petting we do."

"Kiss me, " Dom whispered, unable to resist the strong, yet gentle man in front of him.

"How?" Billy asked in a velvet voice. "Hard or gentle? Deep or Cool? Fast or so long that you can't remember a time when we weren't kissing? I've never had or even wanted that kind of kiss, but looking at you, I believe it exists, and I want it. Sometimes I want that kiss more than I want my next breath."

Dom's eyes widened and he shivered lightly at the thought of trying each and every way of kissing Billy.

"How do you want to kiss me?" Dom asked breathlessly, his heart pounding furiously in his chest.

"Every way there is Honey….and then some."

"Yes," Dom sighed, his glistening lips falling open in an unconsciously sensual invitation.

Billy's breath came out in a husky rush that Dom felt an instant before their lips touched, and Billy's lips were smooth and incredibly soft, fitting over Dom's tenderly, yet completely. He brushed against Dom's mouth, again and again, letting Dom become accustomed to his textures, enjoying Dom's in return. What Billy enjoyed most of all, was the way Dom's lips began to follow his, silently, unconsciously asking for more, the brushing of his soft lips against Dom's, teasing them both to distraction.

Smiling, ignoring the heavy, pulsing beat of his own blood, Billy gave Dom more of the undemanding caresses, his mouth relaxed and soft, and his breath sighed between his slightly parted lips. The tip of Billy's tongue touched the sensitive peak of Dom's upper lip, then withdrew, only to return and touch him again. Dom made a murmurous sound and tilted his face more fully to Billy's, his reward a warm, gliding caress that went from corner to corner of his smile. Dom made another low sound that became a tiny cry of surprise when Billy's teeth closed tenderly on his lower lip, holding it captive. Billy's tongue traced across the captive skin, over and over, until a breathless whimper pushed past Dom's lips. Instantly, Billy released him and began the elusive, gliding kisses all over again.

"Billy." Dom said the word more as a sigh than as his name, his body unconsciously moving forward until even air barely separated them.

"Too much?"

"No." His teeth closed a little less than gently on Billy's lower lip, his tongue mimicking Billy's earlier caresses. Dom heard his breath break and released Billy, whispering, "Not enough."

"Does that mean you won't run if I really taste that beautiful mouth?"

"Yes."

"The way you were hanging on my hands, I wasn't so sure."  
Belatedly, Dom realized that he was imprisoning Billy's hands against his face, holding him hard enough to leave marks on his pale skin.

"I'm sorry," he said quickly, releasing Billy's hands. "When you started kissing me, I forgot everything else."

Billy bent and touched a corner of Dom's mouth with his tongue. "That's all right, Honey. I just thought you might be worried that I'd start straying out of bounds if you let go of my hands."

"What?"

"Don't you remember high school? Nothing below the collarbone in the front or the waist in the back."

Dom started to laugh, but the look in Billy's eyes took his breath away. His words were light, his voice was velvet, but Billy's eyes were a smoldering green that made Dom's knees weak.

"I remember."

"That's the way it will be for us. If you want my hands anywhere else, you'll have to put them there."

"But then you would expect more."

"I expect to spend this night like I've spent every night since I pulled you out of that Kiva – hard and hungry as Hell. That's my problem, not yours. You've done nothing to encourage me."

"Nothing? What about right now?"

"This isn't encouraging." Billy lowered his mouth another fraction of an inch, and his teeth closed tenderly on Dom's lower lip. The tip of Billy's tongue caressed the captive flesh until Dom made a small sound at the back of his throat, and then Billy released him, gave him a quick biting kiss, and looked at Dom's flushed lips with hunger. "This is pleasure, Dominic. Pure and simple."

"Ethan always said it hurt him."

Billy's answer was another brush of his lips against Dom's but this time there was no lifting, no gliding, no teasing. His fingers were eased into Dom's hair, rubbing his scalp, holding him with gentle care while he joined their mouths in a different kind of kiss. The caressing pressure of Billy's lips increased, tilting Dom's head back, yet still he felt no uneasiness. Billy's body burned with the need to feel the friction of Dom's body against his own, but he carefully held himself away. Dom had moved close enough that Billy could feel his heat along the length of his body, but Billy wouldn't, couldn't move the final distance to feel the soft flesh and hard angles of his precious Honey. That was Dom's move, and only Dom's move to make.

Long, slender fingers threaded into Billy's hair, holding him even closer, wanting the kiss to never end. When Dom murmured Billy's name, he accepted the invitation of Dom's parted lips, and Billy's tongue glided between Dom's teeth, seeking the moist heat beyond, finding it in a slow, deep tasting that was like nothing that Dom had ever known. He memorized the contours of Dom's sweet mouth with teasing, sliding touches, caressing him, enjoying him, cherishing him. Only when Dom whimpered and pressed even closer to Billy's body did he complete the seduction of Dominic's mouth.

Dom had never realized just how sensitive his tongue was, how it could discriminate so vividly between the satin smoothness and intriguing serrations of Billy's teeth, the silken texture and beguiling heat of his mouth, the nubby velvet enticement of Billy's tongue sliding against his in a dance of penetration and retreat that made him forget who was stronger, who was weaker, who was frightened, and who was not. Tender and sweet, hot and wild, the kiss shimmered with both restraint and the sensuous consummation of two mouths completely joined. There was only one classification in their kiss. They both wanted.

Dom was never certain who ended the kiss, or if it had truly ended at all. Slowly, he realized that his arms were around Billy's neck, Billy's arms were around him, supporting him and arching him into his body at the same time, and Billy was looking at his mouth as though he had just discovered fire.

"Billy?"

The huskiness of Dom's voice made Billy's whole body tighten. His heavy lidded, luminous eyes told Dom that Billy had been as deeply involved in the kiss as he had. When Dom looked at Billy's mouth and his own lips parted in unconscious invitation, Billy made a sound that was part laugh, part groan, and all male. Dom hadn't realized just how desirable he was at that moment.

"Do you want to taste me again?"

The shiver of response that went through Dom was clearly felt by Billy.

"Then take me," Billy said huskily.

Blue-gray eyes widened for a startled moment, then Dom's lashes swept down as he looked at Billy's perfect, edible mouth. Dom's breath rushed out in a sigh that Billy tasted in the instant before Dom took his mouth, relearning his textures in a sharing of tongues that had neither beginning nor end, simply the hushed intimacy of their quickened breaths intermingling with the night.

Dom's last thought before the kiss ended was to wonder that he could tremble and yet know not the least bit of fear. He had never felt so safe in his life….or so sweetly threatened.

[Chapter 12](http://community.livejournal.com/monaboyd/1621559.html)


	15. Western Lovers: Cowboys and Archaeologists 12/30

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Billy is a man to be reckoned with. Can Dom heal his wounded soul and his own into the bargain. Could Billy make him forget the bitter lessons of the past?

_**FIC: Western Lovers:Cowboys and Archaeologists 12/30**_  
  


[](http://photobucket.com)

  
 **Title:** Western Lovers: Cowboys and Archaeologists 12/30  
 **Author:** [](http://sassywitch.livejournal.com/profile)[**sassywitch**](http://sassywitch.livejournal.com/)  
 **Pairing:** BB/DM with a smattering of VM/LT and DW/OB  
 **Rating:** NC-17, to be on the safe side.  
 **Summary:** Billy is a man to be reckoned with. Can Dom heal his wounded soul and his own into the bargain. Could Billy make him forget the bitter lessons of the past?  
 **Feedback:** Feedback is my writers crack, which is not to be confused at all with plumbers crack.  
 **Disclaimer:** Not at all true in reality. These men whilst adorable and perfectly happy to slash themselves, their actual relationship is something that they only know. This story is adapted from a series of books that I adored when I was younger written by Elizabeth Lowell.  
 **Word Count:** 7474  
 **Header Art:** Courtesy of the incredibly talented [](http://loki-girl.livejournal.com/profile)[**loki_girl**](http://loki-girl.livejournal.com/)  
 **Previous Chapters:** can be found [Here](http://www.livejournal.com/tools/memories.bml?user=sassywitch&keyword=Western+Lovers&filter=all)  
 **A/N:** A huge thank you to [](http://dylan-dufresne.livejournal.com/profile)[**dylan_dufresne**](http://dylan-dufresne.livejournal.com/) for the inspiration, the prodding and the beta. My grammar sucks so she had to suffer it so nobody else would.

~*~*~*~

"Not a chance," Billy said flatly. "If you think I'm letting you excavate that kiva you're crazy." He pulled Dom out of the truck and shut the door hard behind him. "You're not going anywhere near that hole."

Dom blinked and stared at the man who had suddenly become every inch of the Ramrod of the Double L, rather than the restrained lover who just last night had taught him all the pleasure of being kissed. Just kissed. All through the long drive to Arwen Canyon, memories had come at odd times making Dom shiver; then he would look over at Billy, and Billy would smile at him, knowing what Dom was thinking.  
Billy wasn't smiling now. Neither his stance, nor the taut power of his body suggested that there was a bit of gentleness in him.

"I want your promise on that, Dom."

Dom waited for the fear that had always come to him in the past when a man had stood hard shouldered in front of him, his very persona a threat that didn't have to be spoken aloud.

"Or else?" he asked tightly.

"Or else we've had a long drive out here for nothing, because we're going back."

"And if I refuse to go back?"

"You'll go anyway."

Dom looked at Billy's green eyes and wondered how he had ever thought of them as warm, much less hot enough to set fires.

"Ramrod. It does suit you."

Billy waited.

"I'll stay on this side of the canyon," Dom said tightly. "You have my word on it. Not that you need it. You could enforce your edict, and you damn well know it."

"Could I?" Billy asked in a cool voice, his thickened accent, belying his emotionless voice. "You're smart and you're quick. You could find a way to go exploring before I could stop you. But now that you've given me your word, I won't wake up in a cold sweat, seeing you lying beneath stone, broken and bleeding, only this time you aren't moving, this time you don't get up and walk away."

Dom felt the blood leave his face. He made a small sound and reached for Billy. The knowledge that Billy was only enforcing his will for fear of Dom's safety touched a part of Dom that he didn't know he still held.

"Billy?" Dom whispered touching Billy's face.

Billy closed his eyes for an instant, and when they opened again, they were alive once more. He bent and kissed Dom's upturned mouth quickly, then more slowly. When he lifted his mouth he whispered, "I'm glad you weren't afraid of me just now."

"I wasn't?" Dom's brow furrowed in confusion.

Billy framed Dom's face between his hands. "You dug in and gave as good as you got. Then you decided that it wasn't worth the long drive back to the ranch, so you agreed. That's not fear, Honey. That's common sense. Me, now, I was scared."  
Dom laughed in his face.

"It's true," Billy insisted. "I was afraid you'd be frightened of me and then you wouldn't let me kiss you again."

Memories of the previous night rose up in Dom, sending heat glittering from his chest to his knees, heat pooling low in his body, hardening it.

"What sweet sounds you make, " Billy murmured, listening to the soft breaking of Dom's breath. "Will you panic if I put my arms around you and give you the kind of kiss I wanted to give you this morning?"  
Dom's breath came out in a long rush. "I've been hoping you would. I know it sounds crazy but I feel like its been forever since I kissed you. I don't understand why or how even but I miss your taste Billy. I miss it until I ache." Dom's words came out on a whisper.

"Open you mouth for me, Honey," Billy whispered. "I missed you the same way, aching with it."

The heat and sweetness of Billy's mouth locked with Dom's, and his taste swept through Dom, stealing his breath, his thoughts. Dom's arms tightened around Billy's neck as he sought to get closer to him, then closer still. Soft sounds came from Dom's throat as he gave in to the sweeping need to hold Billy so fiercely that he couldn't let go of Billy until his kiss had soothed the aching that had made sleep elude them both through the long hours of the night.

Gravity slipped, and then vanished, leaving Dom suspended within the hard warmth of Billy's arms. With catlike pleasure, Dom kneaded the flexed muscles of Billy's arms and shoulders, urging him to hold him more tightly, not caring if he could breathe. He felt no fear at the blunt reality of Billy's strength pressing around him in a hot, sensual vice, for that was what Dom wanted, his body undulating against the insistent hardness of Billy's. This was what Dom had ached for, without knowing why or how.

Not until Dom was dizzy from lack of air did he permit the kiss to end, and even then, he clung to Billy, his face pressed against the sultry skin of Billy's neck, his body shaking with each breath.

"Oh, Honey," Billy said, shuddering with the force of his violent self restraint.

"There's a fire in you that could make stone burn. If you ever want more that kissing from a man, come to me."

Dom made an inarticulate sound and pressed his mouth against the corded tension of Billy's neck, and the touch of Dom's tongue on his skin went through Billy like lightning.

"You taste good," Dom said slowly, touching him again with his tongue. "Salty. Does your skin taste like that all over or just on your neck?"

Desire ripped through Billy as he though of his whole body being tasted by Dom's innocent, incendiary tongue. Very carefully, Billy placed Dom away from him until he stood on his own feet. Billy forced himself not to look at Dom's reddened lips and cheeks flushed with desire. He wanted Dom until he was shaking with it. He had never wanted another person like that. And that, too, shook him.

"Billy?"

"If you want to get any sketching done, we'd better unload the truck. You'll lose the best light."

"Sweet light."

Billy lifted a single eyebrow, his chest still heaving as he struggled to calm his body.

"That's what photographers call late afternoon light," Dom explained. "Sweet light."

An image came to Billy of Dom, wearing only slanting golden light, the golden hue of his skin glowing, and his husky voice begging Billy to touch him. A strangled whimper left his lips as he struggled with superhuman effort to banish the image, forcing himself to concentrate on what must be done.

"Where do you want to sketch first?" Billy asked. His voice was too thick, his accent almost indecipherable, even to himself, but he could do nothing about that for a few minutes, any more than he could quickly banish the hard, throbbing evidence of his hunger for Dom.

"I've done all the close ups of the ruins I can do until the grads clear out more rubble and excavate to a new level," Dom said, moving to press one long, elegant hand against Billy's back, his brow furrowed at Billy's gruff words. "I need to do some more perspective sketches, showing the ruins in relation to their natural environment, but to do that, I've got to be on the opposite side of the canyon."

Shrugging, Dom said nothing more. He had agreed not to cross over to the other side of the canyon, which meant that he had no sketches to do at the moment.

Silently, Billy swore, knowing his reluctance to let Dom near the kiva was irrational.

"Get your sketching gear together. I'll go over the area myself. If nothing else gives way, you can sketch anywhere you like. Just make sure I'm within calling distance. And don't go near that damned kiva."

Fifteen minutes later, Billy and Dom had unloaded the truck and were ready to go. Billy set out for the ruins at a pace that made Dom work hard to keep up(, but h)e didn't complain. One look at the line of Billy's jaw told Dom that he wasn't pleased to be leading him back toward the Kiva.

Within a few minutes, Dom was tasting the same kind of dread that haunted Billy. Watching Billy quarter the area at the bottom of the cliff where he had fallen through, waiting for him to stumble into an ancient trap, standing with breath held until he ached; it was all Dom could to not to call Billy back, even though he knew that the chance of Billy finding another intact Kiva was so small as to be insignificant.

The chance had been equally small for Dom, and he had stepped through the roof of a kiva anyway.

Half an hour passed before Billy was satisfied that the terrain concealed no more traps. If there were any other Kiva's, they had been filled in by dirt, long ago, or their ceilings were still strong enough to carry his one hundred plus pounds. Either way, Dom should be safe. The kiva he had fallen into on his first day was a hundred feet distant, clearly marked by stakes.

Billy signaled for Dom to join him, and Dom scrambled up the rugged slope with the offhanded grace of a deer. Very quickly, he was standing close enough for Billy to sense the heat of his beautiful body.  
"Find anything?" Dom asked breathlessly

"Potshards, masonry rubble and that."

Dom followed the direction of Billy's thumb, but it took a moment to realize what he was seeing. Sometime in the past five to eight hundred years, a piece of the cliff had fallen, all but filling the alcove below. Once, the opening had held rooms. Now it held only an immense mound of cracked and broken sandstone. Water seeped in tiny rivulets from beneath the stone, telling of a spring hidden beneath. Dom's trained eye quickly picked out the angular stones and random potshards that marked an Anasazi site.  
"I hope they were already gone when the cliff came down," Dom said in a low voice, remembering what Billy had said.

…lying beneath stone, only this time you aren't moving, this time you don't get up and walk away.

Billy hand stroked Dom's head from crown to neck, before pulling Dom back against the curve of his body slowly, pressing his lips against Dom's in a long, wet kiss. "Somehow," he said slowly as he pulled away. "I don't think they were. In fact, I'm…certain." Billy caressed Dom's sensitive nape with the ball of his thumb before he leaned in for another heartbreakingly slow kiss. Drawing his mouth away from Dom's, Billy lifted his hand and stepped away.

"Better get sketching, Honey. Even stone doesn't last forever." Billy closed his eyes at the flash of burning arousal that lanced through his body at his thoughts. "You're losing your sweet light."  
Focused and relaxed at the same time, Dom sketched quickly, not wanting to lose the effect of a slanting, afternoon light on the ruins across the canyon. At Dom's urging, Billy had crossed the small creek again and stood, looking toward the ruins, giving scale to the cliff and the ragged lines of once whole rooms.

"Just a few more minutes, " Dom called.

Billy waved his understanding. Dom's pencil flew over the paper as he added texture and definition to the cliffs and canyon bottom, cottonwood and brush. The heightened contrast gave an almost eerie depth to the sketch.

The drawings Dom had made before had been accurate representations of the ruins as they were today. The drawing he was working on now was a re-creation of the ruins as they had looked long ago, when the sound of barking dogs, domesticated turkeys and children's laughter echoed through the canyon, a time when women ground corn in stone metates or painted intricate designs on pottery while their men discussed the weather or the Gods or the latest rumor of raids from the north. The narrow canyon would have been alive with voices then, especially on a day like today, when the sun was hot and vital, pouring light and life over the land.

Yet today, despite Dom's usual custom, he wasn't sketching people among the buildings. Nor was he sketching the burning blue radiance of the sky. There were heavy clouds surrounding the sole figure in his drawing, a man standing on the margin of the creek. The man was both dark and compelling, ginger hair lifting on a storm wind, an outlaw shaman calling to his brother, the storm.

The power of the man was revealed in the taut, male lines of shoulder and waist, buttocks and legs, a strength that was rooted in the centre of the earth, and in a past when the lives of humans and spirits had been intertwined. Standing with his back to the collapsed alcove, the shaman was a still centre in the swirling violence of the wind. His brother, the storm, had answered the shaman's call.  
The shaman turned around and looked at Dom, with eyes the color of field grasses, eyes that saw past the surface of reality, to the soul beneath.

Dom shivered, blinked, and realized that he had been staring at the finished drawing so intently that his body was cramped in protest. Automatically, he flipped the sketch tablet closed, both protecting and concealing the drawing. He slipped the tablet into its carrying case, then stood up, and moments later, he was hurrying down the slope towards Billy.

Billy turned at the sound of Dom's approach, watching with eyes the color of grass.  
"Finished already?" Billy asked, holding out his hand to take Dom's pack.

Dom gave Billy his hand instead, and slowly, he laced their fingers together until their hands were palm to palm. The sensitive inner skin of Dom's fingers felt the hard pressure of him everywhere, the slow, complete interlocking as intimate as a kiss. Billy's palm was warm and hardened by work, making Dom wonder how it would feel on his skin if he were to give Billy the freedom of his body.

The thought haunted Dom while he and Billy went through their normal end of day chores, a basin bath behind the screen, then preparing dinner and cleaning up the campsite. Although the sun had vanished behind stone cliffs, true sunset was still an hour away. Shadows flowing out from the rocks had taken the edge off the unusual heat of the day, but the canyon walls still radiated the captured warmth of the sun.

After the camp bath, Dom felt no need to pull his customary loose sweater over the sleeveless cotton tee shirt he was wearing, and instead had substituted barefeet and shorts for hiking boots and jeans. Billy was feeling the heat, too, and after his bath, he hadn't bothered to put on a shirt or socks and boots. At the moment, Billy was stretched out on his bed roll, which he had moved to the edge of the overhang, hoping to catch a vagrant breeze.

Dom turned away from the shards he had been sorting and saw Billy sprawled with feline grace across his bedroll, and felt an increasingly familiar glittering sensation from his chest to his knees. Without stopping to think, he walked over and sat next to Billy.

"Billy?"

His eyes opened, deep, green and smoldering.

Dom's thoughts scattered and with them, his ability to speak coherently. "Can I - that is, would you - could we?"

"I thought you'd never ask."

Small hands closed around Dom's face, bringing him closer. Their mouths fitted together smoothly, seamlessly, and at the first taste of each other, they both made low sounds of pleasure. Billy's hands shifted, lifting Dom, easing him across his chest until most of Dom's weight was pressed against him. The shiver that went through Dom was as clear as lightning at midnight, causing Billy to groan and release Dom.

"Dammit, Dommie," Billy said heavily "I didn't mean to frighten you. I didn't think how you would feel being on a man's bed again, and me half naked at that."

Dom shook his head. "It wasn't in a bed, it was in the front seat of a car. That's why I always sit so far away in the truck. And he never-never completely took off his clothes. Or mine."

Billy closed his eyes so Dom wouldn't see the rage tugging against his control. Stroking his head and back, Billy held Dom gently against his chest, kissing his hair, and wishing that he could change the past.

But he could not. He could only hold his Dominic and want him until it was a kind of agony.

The slow stroking of Billy's hand sent currents of pleasure through Dom, making his breath sigh out. He smoothed his cheek against Billy's chest, encountering a resilient cushion of hair instead of cloth, and made a murmuring sound of discovery. Billy's hand hesitated, then continued it's languid journey from the silky hair of Dom's head to the intriguing line of his back. Though the pressure was unchanged, the caress was different, sensual rather than soothing, enticing rather than calming. Billy felt the heat of Dom's breath on his breastbone as he kissed him lingeringly, and then he felt Dom's lips open.

"Go ahead," Billy said. "Find out if I taste the same there as I did on my neck."

Dom lifted his head until he could see Billy's eyes. "You wouldn't mind?"

His smile was slow, hot, and infinitely male. "Honey, you can put that sweet mouth anywhere on me that you want."

Blue eyes widened in shock and….curiosity. The shock Billy had expected. The curiosity made him want to pull Dom hard against his body and show him just how much he wouldn't mind any damn thing Dom wanted to do to him.

The first exploring touch of Dom's tongue made Billy's breath stick in his throat. He had expected a darting taste, followed by a smart comment about the limitations of camp baths, but he hadn't expected a sleek, hot foray through the gingery thickets of his chest hair. He hadn't expected purring sounds of pleasure as Dom tasted him, and most of all, he hadn't expected to feel Dom's arousal pressing against the arm that Billy that rested on Dom’s hip, his fingers gently caressing Dom’s belly as Dom's tongue found and caressed his nipple to a tiny aching point

Billy lay rigidly, fighting his own arousal and the sudden violent need to touch Dom, to press his hand against his chest, to taste and suckle and tease his nipples until Dom writhed in an agony of pleasure. But all Billy permitted himself to do was to slide the fingers of his left hand deeply into Dom's tousled hair, holding Dom's sweet mouth against him while his right hand kneaded Dom's back from nape to waist, pressing him even closer to the growing heat of his body. When he could bear no more, Billy eased Dom's mouth back up to his chest, until he could slide his tongue between Dom's teeth, kissing him deeply, drinking him, mating with him in the only way Dom would allow.

By the time Billy released Dom's mouth, he could barely think, much less speak. His lips felt flushed, full, sated, but the rest of his body ached.

"I want-more than kissing," Dom said. "But I don't know how much more."

"It's all right," Billy said, kissing Dom's lips gently. "We'll take it slow and easy. The only rule will be the oldest and best one of all. Anytime I do something you don't want, tell me. I'll stop."

"That isn't fair to you. Yes I know," Dom said quickly before Billy could speak. "Life isn't fair. But I don't want to make it any harder on you."

The left corner of Billy's mouth tugged up. "Honey, it can't get any harder that it already is." He brushed another kiss over Dom's mouth, scattering his objections.

Moving slowly, Billy lifted Dom from his body and stretched him out on his side with his back to him. "You'll feel safer this way, nothing in front of you, nothing holding you down, nothing trapping you. It'll be just me behind you, and you know I'd never take you by surprise don't you?"

"Y-yes," Dom whispered. It was the truth. If he hadn't trusted Billy at an instinctive level, he wouldn't even be in Arwen Canyon with Billy, much less still shivering from his kisses. He let out a long breath that he hadn't been aware of holding, and realized that Billy had been right about another thing. He did feel safer lying on his side with nothing in front of him but the view of a canyon slowly succumbing to the embrace of twilight. The setting couldn't have been farther from his memories of being wedged between cold machinery and Ethan's relentless body. "Billy?"

"Hmmm?"

"You're right. I feel safer this way."

"Good," Billy murmured, glad that Dom's back was to him, for it gave him the freedom to look at the line of Dom's back, flaring down to his trim hips and tapering slowly to his ankles and sensual feet. If Dom had seen the look of hunger in and male approval in Billy's eyes as he gazed at him, Dom might have felt less relaxed with his back to him.

Billy's calloused fingertips traced the line of Dom's slender body from the crown of his head, over his right ear, down his smooth neck, over his right shoulder, down his ribs to his trim waist, across his hips, then down every bit of his right leg to his ankle. The primal ripple of Dom's response followed his caress, telling Billy that Dom's entire body had become sensitized to passion.

"That," Billy said, kissing the nape of Dom's neck, "broke every one of the high school rules about collarbones and waist. Feel like bolting yet?'

Dom laughed shakily, wondering at the curious weakness that had followed Billy's caress. Yes, he had broken the rules, but in such a way as not to touch any of the forbidden areas.

"Does that little laugh mean I can do it again?" Billy asked.

The subdued humor in Billy's voice was another kind of reassurance to Dom. Ethan had been deadly serious whenever they had been alone, intent on getting as much from him sexually as he could, as quickly as he could.

"Yes," Dom whispered.

A shiver of response followed the seductive movement of Billy's fingertips from Dom's head to his heels. This time, Billy slid beneath Dom's arm, as well caressing the sensitive skin.

"You're a pleasure to touch," Billy said kissing, Dom's nape again. "Soft, resilient, alive." His pointy tongue traced the line of Dom's scalp to his ear and smiled to hear the sudden intake of his breath. "You have the sweetest skin. Here," Billy said, biting Dom's ear gently. "And here." His fingers curled around Dom's arm caressingly, and when Billy's fingers moved, on his mouth lingered. He kissed the bare skin of Dom's arm, nibbling softly, drawing tiny sounds from him. "And here."

Billy's hand shaped the tightly drawn line of Dom's waist, kneading lightly, then more firmly. Slowly, inevitably, his palm moved over the full curve of Dom's hip. "And here." His fingers fanned out, molding him. As his teeth closed over Dom's nape, Billy's hand flexed into his resilient flesh, luxuriating in the feel of him.

The unexpected caress drew a ragged sound from Dom as currents of sensation rippled through him, making him want to shift restlessly. He stirred and his movements acted to increase the pressure of Billy's hand. When Billy's palm smoothed down Dom's bare thigh, he forgot to be worried that Billy would slide his fingers between his legs and touch him. Only when Billy's hand had stroked over Dom's calves to his ankles did he realize that the danger zone had been bypassed once more.

Billy continued the slow, undemanding sweeps of his hand up and down Dom's body. The long caresses were punctuated by his teeth nibbling gently at Dom's nape, his shoulder and the elegant line of his back, and each time Billy's hand traveled back up Dom's body, he skimmed closer to the hard arousal between Dom's thighs and the sensitive, aroused nipples. Billy explored the smooth expanse of Dom's belly with slow pressures that eased his hips back into the muscular cradle of his legs, and the pressure of Dom against his fiercely aroused flesh was a sweet fire that made Billy's hands shake.

Breath held against a groan, Billy waited for Dom to retreat. When he didn't , Billy pressed him even closer, savoring the pleasure-pain of his own need for a moment before he released Dom, not wanting to frighten him. His hand shifted, stroking slowly up the centre line of Dom's body, giving him every chance to refuse the growing intimacy of his touch.

Cloth caught and tugged against Billy's hand. He made no move to move it, despite his aching desire to touch Dom without the cotton barrier of cloth. Following the center of Dom's body, Billy simply caressed him from navel to breastbone to neck and back again, knowing only a hint of the flesh that was calling to him.

"Wait," Dom said huskily.

Immediately, Billy's hand stopped, then withdrew. Before he could retreat farther, slender fingers covered his, holding his hand against Dom's heaving belly. His bare shoulders moved, long, elegant fingers urged Billy's, and suddenly Billy found his hand under Dom's shirt, his fingertips brushing against the hardened little nub of his nipple. A groan was pulled from Billy's throat, a low sound of desire mingled with the one Dom made as his nipple peaked in a rush of sensation that left him weak.

Dom's breath unraveled into broken sighs as Billy's hand moved slowly from one nipple to another, caressing him, cherishing him. Teasing Dom's nipples again and again, Billy then withdrew, leaving him aching for more.

"Billy?"

He made a sound that could have been, "More?"

"Yes," Dom sighed.

One finger skimmed over Dom's nipple again, but the sensation was much less acute because there was cloth between them this time. Without stopping to think, Dom reached up and pulled his shirt over his head, baring himself to Billy's touch.

A hammer blow of desire went through Billy, making his hands shake as he eased one arm below Dom's head, cradling him, and at the same time, giving both hands the freedom to caress him. Billy caught Dom's nipples between his fingers and squeezed gently, smiling at the rippling cry of pleasure he drew from Dom's lips. The sight of his tanned skin beneath Billy's pale hands made fire pool urgently in his belly, swelling him against his jeans until he could count each heartbeat as a separate surge of blood. Caressing Dom's hard nipples again, Billy wished he could take the responsive flesh into his mouth.

Dom's breath fragmented into a low cry as Billy tugged on his nipples, soothing and teasing him in the same, skilled motions. He squeezed again, harder, knowing that Dom was too aroused to feel a lighter touch, and Dom's back arched in a passionate reflex that pressed them against Billy's hands. Billy rubbed slowly in return, and was rewarded by a shivering cry of pleasure.

Deliberately, Billy's hands retreated from Dom's nipples to his ribs, dragging slowly across his body, and Dom moved sinuously, turning into Billy's touch, helping him. His reward was the return of Billy's fingers to his nipples, and then he felt the heat of Billy's mouth sliding down his spine in a sensual glide that made him shiver repeatedly. Each restrained bite was a separate burst of pleasure for Dom, sending glittering needles of sensation throughout his body. When Billy's tongue traced Dom's spine all the way up to his nape, Dom called out Billy's name in a throaty voice that Dom didn't even recognize as his own.

"I'm right here, Honey," Billy said, biting Dom's nape with enough force to leave small marks, tugging at the nipples that lay within his cupped hands. "And so are you."

Slowly, Billy released one hand and sent his hand down the front of Dom's body again. "There is so much of you to enjoy," he said in a low voice. This time, Billy didn't turn aside from the heavy arousal at the apex of Dom's thighs, nor did he linger. "Not just the obvious places, the battlegrounds of school kids," Billy continued, smoothing his hand over Dom's hip to the small of his back. "I like touching the rest of you, too." He traced Dom's hip down to the back of his thighs, and from there to his firm calves and ankles. "Firm, Golden….."

Billy's hand caressed higher, finding and stroking the inside of Dom's thighs as far as he could without seeming to pressure him for more than he was willing to give. His caress went from the back of Dom's knee to the small of his back, and Billy stroked first one hip, then the other, cupping and squeezing, drawing a surprised gasp of pleasure from Dom.

Shifting almost restlessly, Dom gave Billy's hand greater freedom. Billy moved his hand farther down, curling around Dom, holding him intimately, and heat burst through Dom, changing his gasp to a moan.

"Would you like lying just as you are now, but with no clothes to dull your pleasure?" Billy asked softly, kissing Dom's nape, his shoulder, his vulnerable spine. His hand tightened against Dom, subtly caressing him. "It's your choice, Honey. You're as safe as you want to be."

"That's not….fair." The last word came out in a rippling sigh as Billy's hand wrapped around Dom's cloth covered hardness.

"I thought you liked being teased," Billy said, smiling against Dom's spine, despite the sudden, savage clenching of his own need.

"You're not teasing me," Dom whispered.

"I'm not?" Billy's hand flexed again and he groaned quietly at Dom's helpless response to his touch. "Honey, I'm sure as hell teasing one of us."

He felt Dom's hands moving, heard the slide of a zipper, and sensed the sudden looseness of Dom's shorts. Billy's hand bunched, catching cloth between his fingers, pulling it away from the hard secrets he longed to explore.

When Dom felt his remaining clothes being tugged down his legs, felt the powerful, cloth covered male legs rubbing against his, a bolt of panic ripped through him, memories of another time, another place, pain. His legs clamped together and his body jackknifed in an instinctive effort to protect himself.

Instantly, Billy let go, leaving Dom's shorts around his knees. Grateful that Dom couldn't see the tension in his body, Billy brushed a butterfly kiss across his trembling shoulder.

"It's alright, Dom. It stops right here."

Gently, Billy began to ease his left arm from beneath Dom's head, but Dom grabbed his hand and held it against his chest once more.

"Don't leave," Dom whispered raggedly. "I didn't mean to react like that. It was just when I felt the zipper scrape down my leg, and I felt your thigh and you were still dressed, but it's all right now. I know where I am, who I'm with."

Billy kissed Dom's shoulder again, but made no move to reclaim the soft curves he had already made his own, much less the arousal that lay newly revealed to his touch.

"Would it make you feel better if I weren't wearing my jeans?" Billy asked.

Dom laughed a little, almost wildly. "Yes. I know it sounds crazy, but-yes."

With a silent prayer that his self control was as good as he thought it was, Billy rolled over, removed his clothes and returned to his former spoon position with Dom. The feel of Dom's bare bottom nestled deeply into his lap made Billy clench against a savage thrust of need.

 _Dom and I could be dead naked together, and he could still say no, and that would be that. So cool off cowboy, this one is for Dom, not me. As much as he wants, when he wants it, however he wants it. That's what I promised._

 _I must have been out of my mind._

The sweet heat and golden skin of Dom's body called out to Billy in a siren song as old as desire, making Billy want to curse his stupidity for promising not to coax or beg or demand from Dom what he had never needed so much before in his life.

He lay motionless, his left arm pillowing Dom's head, his right hand clenched into a fist that rested on his equally clenched thigh.

"Billy?" Dom whispered tentatively. "Please touch me again. It's all right. I trust you. I won't panic again. And I like – I like the feel of you without your jeans."

Slowly, Billy's right hand loosened. He took a deep, secret breath, then another, relaxing himself .

"Are you sure?" Billy asked, not knowing of whom he asked the question.

Dom answered for both of them. Without warning, he took both of Billy's hands and rubbed his nipples against Billy's palms, letting him feel the hardness and at the same time, easing some of the wild ache in his body. Billy's strong fingers closed around Dom's nipples, plucking at the tight peaks, coaxing a ripple of sound from him. After a moment, the smooth heat of Billy's right hand caressed Dom's belly, his waist, the small of his back, and then a single finger traced the length of his arousal.

If Dom had thought to conceal himself by locking his knees together and jackknifing his body, he had failed. Billy found Dom's aching arousal unshielded, defenseless and traced it lovingly before closing his hand around it and stroking it tightly. A sudden shudder took Dom's whole body, surprising him, and his husky cry was matched by Billy's groan of longing.

"Billy," Dom cried out, feeling strange, convulsing sensations building within him. "I—"

The word became a gasp and another shudder and then another as Dom felt Billy's touch glide across his body, retreat, then return only to retreat once more, leaving him dazed and empty, aching. Billy skimmed the edges of Dom's hardness, probing, discovering the thick vein on his underside with feather light touches, rubbing slowly, hotly stripping away Dom's breath, his thoughts, his restraint.

Dom twisted sinuously, trying to experience more of the pleasure that was greater than any he had ever felt, but still not enough; it was driving him mad. Billy was driving him mad, stealing his control so gently, and retreating, always retreating, flesh filling the emptiness he had never known existed within his soul.

"So hard," Billy whispered his voice a rumbling purr. He teased Dom slowly, loving the wild tremors of his response as his hand slid along Dom's hardness, groaning as he touched as much of Dom as he could. "So damned hot."

Billy's name broke on Dom's lips, a strained sound that could have been either fear or passion. Slowly, reluctantly, Billy began to withdraw his hand from Dom's body(, but) Dom's hand locked over his, holding him in place.

"Are you sure you want this?" Billy said hoarsely, leaning down, rubbing his cheek along Dom's bare hip.

"Yes."

"And this? Do you want this, too?"

Billy's hand shifted. One slick finger trailed between Dom's buttocks, trailing feather light across his opening, and the sensuous pressure within Dom increased. The glittering sensation that had haunted his body condensed into a network of wild lightning, and the sound Dom made was as involuntary as the tightening of his body. Afraid that he had hurt Dom, Billy withdrew before Dom could stop him.

" Honey? Was that pleasure or pain? You're so tight…"

Dom looked over his shoulder at Billy with glittering, sapphire eyes that burned in the aftermath of erotic lightning, and slowly he turned his whole body until he was facing Billy. When he spoke, Dom's voice was low, smoky, as helplessly sensual as his response to Billy as he guided Billy's hand from his shoulder to the arousal at the base of his torso. When Billy accepted his wordless invitation and returned to Dom's body, a shaft of pleasure made Dom gasp and tremble even as he instinctively sought more of Billy's touch. Billy's hand shifted and Dom felt himself being gently stretched, and sensual lightning came again, as unexpected and ravishing as he could ever imagine. Dom's hips thrust into Billy's hand as his intimate fluids spurted across Billy's fingers.

"You were right," Dom said when he could speak.

"About what?"

"This. It's as much pleasure as your senses can stand."

Billy laughed softly, then groaned as Dom's mouth caressed his bare chest. "We've just skimmed the surface," he said, bringing Dom's mouth up to his. "But I'm glad you're enjoying it."

Dom smiled hesitantly, one hand lifting to trace Billy's face. "Are you enjoying it, too?"

"Honey, I'd have to be dead and buried not to enjoy touching you."

Billy felt Dom's elegant fingers searching restlessly over his chest, pausing to tease flat, male nipples, then moving on to his back. Probing the line of Billy's spine between ridges of muscle, Dom stroked him, learning what it felt like to hold a man in his arms. Closing his eyes, sighing, half smiling, Dom kneaded the long, toned muscles of Billy's back, openly savoring the heat and power of his body.

Seeing Dom's enjoyment at touching him was as arousing as anything a partner had ever done to Billy, as the tips of Dom's nipples were pressing against him with each movement of his hands. When he could no longer bear looking at Dom without caressing him, Billy bent his head to bring Dom closer to him. A startled gasp became a moan as Billy circled one bud with his pointy tongue, then took the pert nipple into his mouth, tasting Dom, tugging softly on him, making Dom shudder with each soft stab of his tongue, each exquisitely restrained caress of his teeth, each movement of his fingers within the clinging heat of Dom's body.

Sounds rippled from Dom, the elemental huskiness of passion combined with the rising notes of his surprise. The hot movements of Billy's mouth and hands increased, deepened, quickened, and Dom called his name with every stroke of sweet lightning scoring him, until finally Dom shimmered and burned in Billy's arms, his body consumed by the pleasure he had been showered with.

Billy held Dom as close as he dared, stroking his trembling body with hands that also trembled, kissing his flushed cheeks, his eyelids, his reddened lips, until finally Dom's breath came more evenly. Finally, his lashes stirred and lifted, revealing eyes more blue than any gems Billy had ever seen.

"How can I…what do I say?" Dom whispered.

"Whatever you want."

"I love you, Billy."

The line of Billy's lips shifted into a bittersweet smile. Before Dom could say any more, Billy kissed him gently. "I'm glad you enjoyed it, Honey. Damn glad."

Dom opened his mouth to object that what he felt was more than the aftermath of physical pleasure, but Billy's tongue slid between his lips, preventing further words. Without thinking, Dom closed his teeth lightly raking Billy's tongue, then soothing it with slow motions of his own in a pattern Billy had taught him. The tightening of Billy's body in response, and the sweet friction of his own tongue made Dom's nerve endings shimmer again, echoes of lightening traveling from his nipples to his knees. His breath caught, broke, and caught again.

"Billy?"

He closed his eyes, trying to ignore both the heat of Dom's body and the hard heat of his own.

"I want more of you," Dom said huskily, sweeping his hands from Billy's shoulders to his waist. "I want all of you. If you - do you want me too?"

"Move your hands down a little more and tell me what you think," Billy said hoarsely.

Dom had barely moved his hands at all, when he discovered precisely what Billy meant. The sound he made while Dom measured his arousal with a slow pressure of his palm could have been pain, but Dom was looking into Billy's eyes and Dom knew it wasn't. Dom repeated the caress again, drawing another hoarse, low sound.

"Honey, you'll…."

Billy's breath hissed between his clenched teeth while his hand slid from Dom's knees to the apex of his thighs and further as he sought entrance to Dom's body. It was even hotter and tighter than a few moments ago. Dom whimpered and moved with Billy's touch, his response and his hands searching over Billy's hard, eager flesh nearly undid Billy.

Very carefully, Billy eased Dom's hands up his body, kissing his fingertips and palms and held them hard against his chest while he caught his breath.

"Billy? What's wrong?"

"Hush, Honey. Nothing's wrong."

Billy turned away, took a packet from his jeans pocket, and with the swift, sure motions of a man performing an accustomed task, he opened the packet and covered himself in slicked latex. When he turned back to Dom, Billy wasn't completely naked, and he saw Dom's rather startled, somewhat dismayed look. With a calm that was exactly opposite to what he was feeling, Billy put his finger under Dom's chin and tilted his face up to his own.

"Want to change your mind?"

Rather tentatively, Dom ran his fingertips over Billy's tightly sheathed flesh. "It felt better….without."

Billy clenched his teeth against agreeing with Dom, because it had felt a lot better to be completely naked. Just as Dom, now, felt exquisite to his bare fingers as Billy once more slid them into Dom, testing his readiness to receive him and simultaneously drawing a low sound of pleasure from him as Dom melted at his touch.

"Sex is temporary, Honey," Billy said tightly. "Nothing else is. This is a small price to pay to protect you for always."

Dom's head snapped up, the surprise clear on his face. At that moment, Billy knew that Dom hadn't even considered the ramifications of this act. He wanted to swear and laugh and swear some more at Dom's trust, but most of all, Billy wanted to plumb the depths of Dom's sweet body with the very flesh that Dom was once again caressing tentatively. Though Dom's touch was muffled by the price of protecting him, the feel of Dom's hand was nonetheless driving Billy to the edge of his control.

"Honey?" Billy gasped.

The aching restraint in his voice made Dom's heart turn over. "Yes," he whispered. "Whatever you want, just show me."

"The first time, it would be easier if….will it bother you to be beneath me?"

"No."

"Are you sure?"

Holding Billy's eyes with his own, Dom lay back and opened himself to Billy. His complete trust pierced Billy, making him tremble with an emotion that was deeper and more devastating than desire. Slowly, Billy settled between Dom's splayed legs, watching him for any sign of fear or pain. Billy saw only blue eyes that widened slightly at the gently probing pressure between his thighs, then Dom's eyes closed, and he unraveled in a long, shivering acceptance of Billy within his body.

The ease with which Billy became part of Dom's body was another instant of piercing emotion deep within him…and then he was moving and Dom was clinging to him, measuring him in a new way, moving with him, loving him as he had never loved another man.

Fire swept through Billy's restraint, burning him, burning Dom, each wanting more and more. Instinctively, Dom's long legs shifted, wrapping snugly around Billy's lean hips, luring and demanding with the same motions. Answering with hard, sweeping movements, Billy drove himself into Dom, filling him, drinking from Dom's sweet mouth until he felt his self control slipping away. Billy fought against ecstasy, not wanting it to come to either of them so soon, not wanting to end the burning arousal that was in itself a savage pleasure; then it was too late, the pleasure was too piercing, too overwhelming. Wrapping his fingers around Dom's burning arousal that was trapped between them, Billy's fingers slid along Dom's slick length as he struggled against his release.

Billy took Dom one, final time, all of him, and held himself there while ecstasy stripped everything away, but Dom and the deep, endless pulses of their releases.

[Chapter 13](http://community.livejournal.com/monaboyd/1623263.html)  


  



	16. Western Lovers: Cowboys and Archaeologists 13/30

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Billy is a man to be reckoned with. Can Dom heal his wounded soul and his own into the bargain. Could Billy make him forget the bitter lessons of the past?

_**FIC: Western Lovers: Cowboys and Archaeologists (13/30)**_  
  


[](http://photobucket.com)

  
 **Title:** Western Lovers: Cowboys and Archaeologists 13/30  
 **Author:** [](http://sassywitch.livejournal.com/profile)[**sassywitch**](http://sassywitch.livejournal.com/)  
 **Pairing:** BB/DM with a smattering of VM/LT and DW/OB  
 **Rating:** NC-17, to be on the safe side.  
 **Summary:** Billy is a man to be reckoned with. Can Dom heal his wounded soul and his own into the bargain. Could Billy make him forget the bitter lessons of the past?  
 **Feedback:** Feedback is my writers crack, which is not to be confused at all with plumbers crack.  
 **Disclaimer:** Not at all true in reality. These men whilst adorable and perfectly happy to slash themselves, their actual relationship is something that they only know. This story is adapted from a series of books that I adored when I was younger written by Elizabeth Lowell.  
 **Word Count:** 2869  
 **Header Art:** Courtesy of the incredibly talented [](http://loki-girl.livejournal.com/profile)[**loki_girl**](http://loki-girl.livejournal.com/)  
 **Previous Chapters:** can be found [Here](http://www.livejournal.com/tools/memories.bml?user=sassywitch&keyword=Western+Lovers&filter=all)  
 **A/N:** A huge thank you to [](http://dylan-dufresne.livejournal.com/profile)[**dylan_dufresne**](http://dylan-dufresne.livejournal.com/) for the inspiration, the prodding and the beta. My grammar sucks so she had to suffer it so nobody else would. Next Chapter on Monday

~*~*~*~

Billy sat in the rocking chair, moving it with a gentle rhythm, looking down into Milo's grey eyes, and the baby stared back with absolute seriousness into Billy's green eyes.

"I know old man," Billy said, smiling. "I don't look like your momma. What's worse, I'm not built like her and you're getting too hungry to be pacified by a rocking chair and a soothing voice for much longer, but I'm afraid you'll have to lump it for a while. Viggo has been trying to show Liv that new colt all day, and this is the first chance they've had. You don't begrudge your parents a few minutes alone together, do you?" He leaned in to nuzzle his beard rough cheek against the soft skin of Milo's face.

Billy smiled to himself as he spoke, as he suspected the new colt wasn't all that was keeping Viggo and Liv away from the house. The men were scattered all over the ranch, Dom was working on sketches at the old house, Billy had promised to watch Milo, and the barn was empty of all but a few horses. Billy wouldn't have blamed Viggo for taking advantage of the opportunity to steal a few kisses or even the whole woman.

The thought of enjoying a similar opportunity to have Dom alone within the twilight silence of the barn had a rapid and very pronounced effect on Billy's body.

"Damn," he muttered softly. "It's not like I've been deprived in that department, except for the weekends."

When they were away from Arwen Canyon, Billy was careful not to show any difference in his treatment of Dom. Some people could have laughed off or ignored the cowhand's brand of humor with regard to 'riding double' or the like, but Billy didn't think Dom was one of them. When the hands discovered, as they quickly would, that it was nothing permanent, the humor would degenerate into sidelong looks and blunt male speculations. Dom's trust and uninhibited, unconscious sensuality deserved better than that. He was different from anybody the cowboys usually associated with summer flings.

The only time Billy allowed himself to be alone with Dom was in the old house, in the workroom, sorting shards after dinner, the curtains open and both people plainly in view to anyone who cared enough to glance in. Outwardly, as long as anyone was around, nothing had changed since Dom had become his lover.

As much as Billy was tempted by proximity, he didn't so much as kiss Dom when they were at the ranch house, because he didn't trust himself to stop with a kiss or two. On Friday, the drive back from Arwen Canyon had taken so long that dinner was over hours before Billy and Dom made it to the ranch house. Part of the trouble had been a rain slicked road, but the other part had been Dom; Billy hadn't been able to keep his hands off his young lover. What had started as a quick kiss had ended with both of them breathing too hard, too fast, their breath as steamy as their bodies had become.

All that had prevented Billy from taking Dom right there was the fact that his first unhappy experience with sex had been in the front seat of a vehicle. So he had put the truck back into gear and driven to the ranch with the weekend stretching like an eternity in front of him, and Dom's long fingers stroking his taut thigh. It had been a near thing. Billy had never been like that with anyone, riding the eroding edge of his own self control until he wanted to put his fist through a window in sheer frustration.

Two nights in the bunkhouse did nothing to make Billy feel better. No matter how hard Billy had tried not to, he kept seeing Dom holding out his arms, opening himself to Billy. The memory made heat and heaviness pool thickly between his thighs, a reaction that had become uncomfortably familiar since he had first seen Dom.

Becoming Dom's lover had meant only a temporary improvement in the condition, followed all too soon by an even more pronounced return of the problem. Knowing the passion that lay behind Dom's smile didn't help to cool Billy's response. He wanted to make love to Dom after an evening of conversation and laughter, and then again in the middle of the night. Then Billy wanted to kiss Dom slowly awake in the morning, bringing him from dreams to passion, watching the immense pleasure in his eyes when he woke up and found Billy's mouth on his bare skin. But Billy couldn't do that on the weekends, when they returned to the ranch.

Milo bunched up his little fists and cried.

Billy sighed. "I know how you feel nubbin. I know how you feel."

Shifting the baby, Billy stroked the tiny cheek with his fingertip, and Milo's hands flailed with excitement, until more by chance than anything else, he connected with Billy's left index finger, bringing it to his small mouth. Instantly, the baby began sucking on Billy's calloused fingertip.

"Uh, old man, I don't know how to break this to you, but…oh, the hell with it. You'll figure it out for yourself soon enough."

The controlled throaty rumble of a powerful car engine distracted Billy, and he looked out through the window into the last light of evening. The paint job on the car was a dirt-streaked, sun faded black, but everything that affected the car's function was in top shape. The tires were new, the lights were bright and hard, and the engine purred like a well fed cougar.

Even before the driver got out and stretched, Billy knew that David Wenham had come back to the Double L.  
Smiling with anticipation, Billy watched his younger brother climb the front steps with the lithe, coordinated motions of an athlete or a highly trained warrior. The knock on the door was distinct, staccato without being impatient. Billy's smile widened. There had been a time when his brother would have driven up in a cloud of dust and knocked on the door hard enough to rattle the hinges.

"Come on in, David."

The door opened and shut without noise, and David crossed the room the same way. Without noise. Taller, wide shouldered, his thick red blonde hair two inches long and his light beard clipped close to his face, David looked as hard as he was. Even as his pale, ice blue eyes took in the room with multiple doorways, his unnaturally acute hearing noted the near silent approach of someone coming toward the living room through the kitchen.

~*~*~*~*~

Knowing Billy was babysitting Milo, Dom had been all but tiptoeing across the kitchen as he headed for the living room. He didn't get that far. Two steps from the doorway, he froze at the sight of the lean, long-boned, broad shouldered stranger who moved like Billy when he was fighting.

Billy held Milo and watched David cross the floor toward the rocking chair. Grassy eyes measured the changes in David, the brackets of anger or pain around his flat, unsmiling mouth, the razor fine physical edge, his muscular weight always poised on the balls of his feet, because he had to be ready to throw himself into flight or fight at every instant. For Billy, looking at David was like going back in time, seeing himself years ago, youthful dreams and emotions burned out by the timeless cruelty of war.

Silently, David stood in front of the rocking chair, staring down at his brother and the baby.

"I will be damned. Yours?"

Billy shook his head. "Not a chance. I know what sort of relationship material I am. I'm definitely a short term man. Relationships should be a long term thing."

David grunted. "That asshole that you fell for didn't make much of a relationship, long or short."

The corner of Billy's mouth curled sardonically. "It wasn't his entire fault. I should've had my eyes open from the start."  
"The way I remember it, he was an asshole from the word go, using you to suit himself and then pissing all over the relationship as soon as he knew you were his," David retorts.

"The curse of our family." Billy nodded. "Warriors not husbands."

Dom stood motionless, his throat clenched around a cry of protest and pain, realizing he had lost a game he hadn't even been aware of playing. He had understood the risks he had taking in trusting Billy and he had been lucky. Billy had given him extraordinary physical pleasure, and no pain at all, but Dom hadn't understood that he was risking his emotions and unborn dreams. Now Dom felt as he had in the instant the kiva ceiling had given way beneath his feet.

 _No wonder Billy has been so careful not to touch me when he knows other people are around. He doesn't want them to know we're lovers. They might assume something more, something that has to do with shared lives, shared promises, shared love. But he doesn't see us that way._

 _I didn't know I saw us that way until now, just now when a dream I didn't even know I had burst and I feel through to reality._

 _God I hope the landing is easier than the fall._

Dom clenched his teeth and forced himself to let out the breath he had instinctively held at the first instant of tearing pain. Silently, gradually, he took in air and let it out again, bringing strength back to his body. After a few aching breaths, his ears stopped ringing. The words from the other room began to have meaning again, David speaking in tones that were like Billy's, but without emotion.

"Heard anything from Craig?"

"He's tired of jungles," Billy said.

David grunted. "Anytime he wants to swap sea level tropics for Afghanistan's high passes, he can have at it."

"Thought the country calmed down after the Russians left." Billy gave David a measuring green eyed glance. "Thought that was why you decided to come home."

"The Afghani tribesmen have been killing each other for a thousand years. They'll be killing each other a thousand years from now. They're fighting men. They'd take on Satan for the pure Hell of it."

"So would you."

David's pale blue eyes locked with Billy's. "I did. I lost."  
Billy held out his right hand. "I don't know of any man who ever won. Welcome back brother. You've been a long time coming home."

The deep affection in Billy's voice went through Dom, rattling him all over again, telling him that he was jealous of Billy's brother. The realization appalled him, and the pain.

All the old wives' tales are true; the landing is worse than the fall.

Dom looked around almost wildly. He had to leave, and leave quickly, before he was discovered. He couldn't face Billy with jealously and despair and pain shaking him.

"Never thought I'd say it," David said quietly, "But it's good to see your ugly face again. Now maybe you'll introduce me to the guy standing behind me."

Billy leaned sideways, looking around his brother's body toward the front door.

"Kitchen door," David said, stepping aside.

Dom heard the words, but took another step backwards anyway, wondering bitterly how David had known he was there. He hadn't made a sound. In fact, he had barely breathed after hearing Billy's matter of fact summation of his lack of enduring appeal.

And everyone else's appeal to him.

"Dom? Is that you? Come on in, Honey. I want you to meet my brother, David. David, this is Dominic Monaghan, a good friend of mine."

David turned around and Dom knew he couldn't flee. The pale blue eyes that met his were as passionless as David's voice. Dom had an unnerving sense of looking into the eyes of a wolf or a cougar.

"How did you know I was here?" Dom asked almost angrily.

"Your scent."

David's neutral tone did nothing to calm Dom. The man's unsmiling, measuring aloofness overwhelmed all other impressions Dom had of him, even the obvious one of his dark, hard, male appeal.  
David looked from Dom to the baby sucking industriously on Billy's finger. "Yours?"

"No," Dom said in a strained voice. "That's Milo Mortensen."

"Viggo's baby?" David asked, looking at Billy.  
Billy nodded.

"You mean that long-legged little girl you told me about finally ran him to ground?'

"She sure did, and then she let him go. He decided he didn't want to go anywhere without her."  
David shrugged. "To each his own. For us that means single harness, not double."

Billy looked at Dom's tight, pale face and extended his free hand to him, then looked at his brother, who was a younger, harder reflection of himself. Billy looked down for a long moment at the baby in his lap, then he met again the unsmiling eyes of a warrior who had fought too long.

"Hope you haven't lost your taste for sleeping out," Billy said. "Astin is getting damned tired of weekends in Arwen Canyon."

"I don't sleep much, so it doesn't matter where I lie down."

Billy's eyes narrowed as he remembered the years he had spent relearning how to sleep like a civilized man instead of a wild animal, coming alert with every unusual noise, waking up in a single rush with a knife in one hand and a man's throat in the other.

"It'll pass," Billy said quickly.  
David said nothing.

Milo began to fret, no longer pacified by Billy's unyielding fingertip.  
David watched the baby for a moment, then said, "Company coming from the barn. Man and a woman."

Billy shook his head at the acuity of David's senses. "I'm glad I don't have to live like that anymore, every sense peeled to maximum alertness."

"Beats dying."

The very faint sound of a woman's laughter floated into the living room. Milo's fretfulness increased in volume.

"Honey," Billy said to Dom without looking away from the baby. "Go tell Liv to get a move on it. Milo is getting set to cloud up and rain all over me."

There was no answer, and when Billy glanced up from Milo's rapidly reddening face, he discovered that Dom was gone.

"How long was he standing there?" Billy said, his voice as hard as David's.

"Long enough to know you're not interested in setting up house with him."

Billy closed his eyes and hissed a single savage word. It would be a long drive to Arwen Canyon tomorrow, and all the way, Dom would be tight and angry, thinking of a thousand reasons why he shouldn't melt and run like hot, wild honey at Billy's touch.

Milo began to cry in earnest, gulping in air and letting it out in jerky squalls.

"That's a strong baby you have there," David said. He bent down. A long, scarred finger traced Milo's hairline with surprising delicacy. "It's good to hear a baby cry and know its distress is only temporary, that food and love are on the way."

"Less volume would be nice."

David shook his head and said in a low voice, "The ones who are too weak to cry are the hardest to take."

Billy looked up quickly, but his brother's eyes were hooded, unreadable. Then the front door opened, and Liv rushed in.

"I'm sorry, I thought Milo would be all right for a few more minutes." She saw David, noted the similarity to Billy in stance, and smiled. "David Wenham, right?" she asked, reaching past the bearded man for her hollering baby. "I'm Liv, welcome to the Double L. We've never met, but I've heard a lot about you." As she hurried from the room with Milo in her arms, she called over her shoulder, "Viggo look who finally got here. Now Astin can go back to chasing cows."

Soon after Liv disappeared into the next room, the sound of the baby's crying ended abruptly, telling the men that Milo had found something more satisfactory to suckle than a man's calloused fingertip.  
Viggo shut the door and walked across the living room. For a few seconds there was silence while David and Viggo measured each other. Then Viggo nodded, and held out his hand.

"Welcome back David. Double L is your home for as long as you want it."

After a moment, David took the hand that was offered. "Thanks, Mortensen. You won't regret it."

Viggo turned back to Billy, measured the expression on his face and asked rather warily, "Something wrong, Ramrod?"

"Not one damn thing." Billy stood and crossed the room in long strides. "C'mon, David. I'll show you where you'll be sleeping."

The front door closed behind Billy, and Viggo looked questioningly at David.

"Lover trouble," David answered succinctly.

"What?"

"Five foot seven, honey-blonde hair, gray-blue eyes, fine body he keeps hidden under oversized clothes?"

"Dominic?"

David nodded.

"Did you say Billy's lover?"

David shrugged. "He will be until he tries to put a permanent brand on Billy. Then he'll be looking for another stud to ride. Our family doesn't brand worth a damn."

[Chapter 14](http://community.livejournal.com/monaboyd/1625122.html)


	17. Western Lovers: Cowboys and Archaeologists 14/30

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Billy is a man to be reckoned with. Can Dom heal his wounded soul and his own into the bargain. Could Billy make him forget the bitter lessons of the past?

_**FIC: Western Lovers: Cowboys & Archaeologists 14/30**_  
  


[](http://photobucket.com)

  
 **Title:** Western Lovers: Cowboys and Archaeologists 14/30  
 **Author:** [](http://sassywitch.livejournal.com/profile)[**sassywitch**](http://sassywitch.livejournal.com/)  
 **Pairing:** BB/DM with a smattering of VM/LT and DW/OB  
 **Rating:** NC-17, to be on the safe side.  
 **Summary:** Billy is a man to be reckoned with. Can Dom heal his wounded soul and his own into the bargain. Could Billy make him forget the bitter lessons of the past?  
 **Feedback:** Feedback is my writers crack, which is not to be confused at all with plumbers crack.  
 **Disclaimer:** Not at all true in reality. These men whilst adorable and perfectly happy to slash themselves, their actual relationship is something that they only know. This story is adapted from a series of books that I adored when I was younger written by Elizabeth Lowell.  
 **Word Count:** 4970  
 **Header Art:** Courtesy of the incredibly talented [](http://loki-girl.livejournal.com/profile)[**loki_girl**](http://loki-girl.livejournal.com/)  
 **Previous Chapters:** can be found [Here](http://www.livejournal.com/tools/memories.bml?user=sassywitch&keyword=Western+Lovers&filter=all)  
 **A/N:** A huge thank you to [](http://dylan-dufresne.livejournal.com/profile)[**dylan_dufresne**](http://dylan-dufresne.livejournal.com/) for the inspiration, the prodding and the beta. My grammar sucks so she had to suffer it so nobody else would. Next Chapter on Wednesday  
~*~*~*~

  
Billy had every intention of going to the bunkhouse and helping his brother settle in, but he couldn't forget the broken, angry expression he had seen on Dominic's face.

Running lithely down the grassed path, he found himself at the closed door of the old ranch house. Pounding on the door with an iron fist he waited patiently for Dom to answer or at least acknowledge him. Waiting agonizingly long moments, he imagined the torment in his young lover's mind, before pounding on the door again, harder than before.

"Dommie, I know you're in there. Please talk to me." He pressed one hand against the wood of the door, listening for any movement from inside.

Again, receiving no response, Billy sighed deeply. "Honey, it's not the way you think. Honestly. Please talk to me, I need to explain."

"You'd best be careful Ramrod." Dom flung the door open angrily. "Someone might see you," he hissed.

Billy frowned, trying to understand Dom's anger, and the tears that glistened in his beautiful eyes. "What?" Billy asked. "I don't understand why you're so upset, Dom."

"You'd better come in before the hands see you, Ramrod," Dom almost snarled, then stepped back and stalked into the workshop.

Billy followed, slamming the door behind him. "Dammit, Dom, I don't give a damn who sees me with you."

"Really?" Dom growled angrily, trembling violently as he turned his back on Billy, his fingers shaking as he lifted a pot shard from the table. "That must be why you never touch me unless we're alone. You never kiss me in public. You never even acknowledge me as anything other than Professor in front of the hands." He paused and turned back to face Billy, hot tears trickling down his cheeks. "I get it now." Blinking several times, Dom looked up into Billy's eyes. "I know I'm no catch, but I didn't think you'd be so ashamed of me that I'd end up being your dirty little secret."

"My what?" Billy cried incredulously.

"It all makes sense now." Dom shrugged, wiping angrily at the tears he couldn't contain. "That's why you're so reticent to be near me around people. I'm naïve, not stupid, Billy. I get it now."

"You haven't got a clue what the hell you're talking about, Honey."

"How can it not be what I think, Billy?" Dom watched him for a moment before he turned his back on Billy and spoke again. "I heard everything you said to your brother."

"I know," Billy spoke softly, moving forward to press his hand flat against Dom's back.  
Dom spun away from Billy and snarled, his eyes wide and glazed. "Don't touch me!"

"Don't do this, Honey." Billy's voice was oddly flat.

"I'm not doing anything," Dom replied, moving around the table and out of Billy's reach.

"I'm not cut out to partner up, Dommie," Billy sighed, his own eyes glistening.

"Nice of you to tell me that before I fell in love with you," Dom spat.

"You're not in love with me," Billy snapped angrily.

"I know my own feelings," Dom snapped back.

"You're infatuated, that's all it is. Just because I'm the first person to show you real pleasure, you think you're in love."

"So just because you're a good fuck and show me a good time, I'm infatuated? Is that it Billy?" Dom stalked towards Billy, punctuating every word with a finger jab to his chest.

"I didn't say that, Dom." Billy's voice flattened even further, his accent thick and throaty. "Stop twisting my words, and calm down."

"Twisting your words, am I?" Dom spat the words, fisting his hands on his hips, he stalked back and forth, pacing angrily. "You fucking said I was infatuated with you because we fuck well. Tell me how I twisted that?" He paused, tears streaming freely down his cheeks. "You can't, can you, because I didn't. I know my own heart, Billy. I. Love. You."

"You don't. You. Can't," Billy replied shortly, not looking at Dom.

"Why's that Billy? Tell me why? Why won't you believe me? Because you're the fucking world authority on it and all, aren't you?"

"Just let it go Dommie," Billy yelled. "I don't want to do this with you. Not now."

"When then, Billy? When is it going to be convenient for you?" Dom paused in his pacing to stand directly in front of Billy. "C'mon, Ramrod," Dom almost sneered.

"Tell me why you know that I can't be in love with you."

"Dom," Billy growled at him. "I'm not going to fight with you."

"What the fuck do you think we're doing now?" Dom threw his arms up and waited for a reply. "I'm nothing to you, aren't I? Just a piece of available ass, aren't I? Tell me!"

"You have never been a piece of ass to me." Billy squared his shoulders and growled at Dom. "Never."

"Then why the hell can't you see what we've got together?" Dom growled from between clenched teeth.

"Because we can't," Billy growled back, his face inches from Dom's.

"I had a better excuse than 'because' in grade school, Billy," Dom spat sarcastically. "You're a big tough cowboy. Astonish me and find a better reason."

"You wouldn't understand."

"Fuck that!" Dom exclaimed and pushed Billy back against the edge of the worktable, fastening his lips over Billy's for a hard, wet kiss.

His mouth plundered Billy's roughly, tongue swiping and tangling with Billy's, his teeth catching Billy's bottom lip and tugging on it aggressively. Barely able to control himself, Dom's hands slid down Billy's body to grip handfuls of his denim clad ass and drag their bodies tightly together.

Billy pulled back from Dom's kiss, his tongue flicking at the spot of blood on his lip as he looked at his young lover, trying to catch his breath.

"I won't let you distract me," he stated softly.

"I'm not trying to distract you," Dom growled as he leaned in to lick the side of Billy's neck. "I just want us to do what we do best."

"What's that?" Billy asked.

"Fuck," Dom stated plainly, and then let his hands unbuckle Billy's belt.

"That's not what we do, Dom," Billy answered as he pulled the press studs of his shirt open.

"What do you call it then?" Dom had Billy's buckle open and was pulling his button fly open, tugging at it roughly, trying to pull it open, then plunging his slender hand inside to cup Billy's growing arousal.

  
"I….We," Billy stammered, struggling to maintain some semblance of common sense, Dom's actions stealing sensible thought from him. "Forget it," Billy finished, his hands moving to caress Dom's shoulders as Dom's long fingers wrapped around his arousal and stroked it quickly.

"I can't, Billy," Dom almost wailed as he pushed Billy's jeans from his hips. "I can't. Every time I close my eyes, I see you. I can't forget," Dom moaned as he leaned forward to suck at the side of Billy's neck. "Can't forget the way you make me feel." His teeth caught the skin of Billy's neck, neither of them noticing as they pierced the skin there. "I don't want to forget." His hands pushed Billy's jeans down his thighs, long fingers pressing into Billy's bare buttocks and kneading roughly.

He pressed his body along Billy's, and ground his denim covered erection against him.

"Then don't, Honey," Billy sighed, pushing into Dom, his fingers tightly gripping Dom's shoulders as the workbench pressed into his lower back.

Billy hooked his foot under the work table's support beam, catching the top of his elastic topped boot. With a quick wrench of his ankle, his foot slipped free. Dom's urgency was palpable, his anger had flamed into sudden, burning out of control arousal that neither of them were in any condition to dampen. Hands skimming up and down Dom's perspiration soaked shirt, Billy used the table edge to push his jeans down his thighs until they fell to the floor. Stepping out of them, and kicking them away with his free leg, Billy turned his attention back to Dom.

Frantic to touch skin, Dom fisted handfuls of the shirt that covered the taut muscles of Billy's back.

The worn fabric gave under the desperate strength of Dom's hands, and ripped from collar to shirttails. Dom's hands immediately dipped inside, fingers and nails alternately scratching and petting as his denim caged arousal ground against Billy desperately, Billy's own arousal leaving moist spots on the front of Dom's jeans.

Dom's mouth sucked on Billy's neck, his teeth nipping, tongue licking, lips sucking. Wanton whimpers tumbled against Billy's heated flesh.

"Billy," Dom whimpered. "Can't….don't …..please," he begged.

Understanding Dom's aggressive need almost before he spoke, Billy trailed one hand down Dom's belly, deft fingers opening his jeans and pushing them down, releasing Dom's slick, throbbing arousal. Billy's lips twisted into a grin as he heard the sigh of relief Dom couldn't contain. Unable to resist, Billy closed his hand around Dom, and let his thumb trail across his damp tip before he stroked him tightly.

Dom's reaction to his calloused touch almost pushed Billy over the edge, Dom threw his head back and wailed in desperate longing, his long, elegant throat open for Billy's nibbles.

Billy removed his hand, his own body thrumming with need. Lifting his free leg, Billy wrapped it around Dom's hip, pulling him tighter, closer, their erections rubbing together wetly as Dom thrust wantonly, desperately against Billy. Eyes closing as the sensations of Dom's lips, teeth, hands and body pushed him closer to the limits of his own control, Billy trailed one trembling hand along Dom's arm, and fingers slid across perspiration dotted skin until he reached Dom's slender wrist. Billy caught Dom's hands and pulled it to his mouth. Ignoring the groan that tumbled from Dom's kiss swollen lips, Billy pushed Dom's fingers into his mouth and suckled them wetly before releasing them, swirling his tongue around them and licking their long, elegant lengths.

"Do it Dom. Show me," Billy growled into Dom's ear as he clung to the younger man.

Dom's hand moved between Billy's taut cheeks and brushed across his entrance, and pushing past the tight muscle, he plunged one long finger deep inside his lover.

Billy's body tensed briefly, but relaxed as Dom's finger plunged into his tight entrance, his hips rocking against Dom's hand as he struggled to control his traitorous body.

Leaning into Billy, Dom swept the shards on the table behind them aside. Pressing himself along Billy's body, his tee-shirt brushed against Billy's nipples abrasively as he pushed a second finger deep into his lover.

"Do it, Honey," Billy gasped as he pushed his body onto Dom's fingers, pulling Dom closer. Heels drumming against Dom's buttocks, Billy's hand found Dom's arousal, his fingers tightening around it, stroking it roughly.

"Billy!" Dom whimpered, both hands clutching Billy's face, kissing him hungrily, wetly, his mouth melding with Billy's as if he was trying to become a part of the older man. "Please, Billy. " His voice was little more than a sob as he begged for something he couldn't quite reach on his own.

Billy whimpered at the loss of Dom's intimate touch, but hitched his hips against the edge of the table, his stroking hand guiding Dom's arousal to his entrance, letting the slick head rub against the puckered muscle. Pressing his sweat slick forehead against Dom's, Billy relaxed his hyper aroused body as much as it would. One of his hands stroked Dom's fabric covered back, the other guided Dom into his almost, but not quite, prepared body.

Billy pressed his forehead against Dom's shoulder, waiting for the burning stretch that would come before the pleasure, and as Dom's hips thrust forward, Billy's teeth closed on Dom's shoulder, his body tensing briefly. Hips canting away from the intrusion, Billy closed his hands on Dom's hips and held him there. With his leg wrapped around Dom's hip, Billy could feel the tremors running through Dom's body as he struggled to comply with Billy's unspoken request.

Sensation ripped through Billy at the willing invasion of Dom's body. Hands relaxing on Dom's hips, stroking the angular hipbones as he struggled to adjust, Billy then felt his body slowly relax as he stroked in ever increasing circles until his fingers reached Dom's chin. Cupping Dom's face, Billy looked into Dom's eyes, his own passion-glazed and serious as his own hips began to undulate under Dom.

"Fuck me, Honey," he whispered. "Now!"

His mind beyond any semblance of rational thought, Dom's body took over. His hips rocked slowly back, until he almost pulled himself from Billy's body and pushed back again, his skin slapping against Billy's with every deep, frantic thrust.

Billy's leg wrapped Dom tighter against his body, forcing him into short, sharp thrusts, Dom's hips stuttering as his desperate need started to unravel. Billy's hands fisted Dom's tee-shirt, pulling Dom tightly against his semi-sprawled body as his mouth devoured Dom's hungrily, moaning wildly as his own hips eagerly arched up to meet Dom's thrusts.

Dragging his lips from Dom's, his sharp little teeth nipping at Dom's bottom lip, Billy looped one arm around Dom's neck and pulled him fully against his chest, pushing up into Dom. His free hand grabbed at Dom's arm, pulling it, tugging on it as his teeth nipped at Dom's bearded chin. Wrapping his fingers around Dom's, he pulled Dom's arm between their bodies until their laced fingers touched his arousal.

"Please Dommie…" Billy moaned. "Touch me, too."

Dom's eyes barely focused as he looked into Billy's face, sweat dripping from his forehead, splashing against Billy's skin as he struggled to comprehend Billy's words. Nodding unsteadily, Dom's long fingers closed around Billy's erection, his grip tight as he began a tight, twisting stroking. His hips pushed into Billy's, each thrust unerringly finding Billy's sweet spot, and Billy's head tipped back, the limits of his almost superhuman control exceeded as Dom's teeth bit into his shoulder in sharp, stinging nips.

Desperately trying to grasp his fragmenting control, pressing himself against Dom, Billy's hands ran frantically over Dom's back, calloused fingers stroking from neck to buttocks and back again, scratching lightly at his cotton covered skin as he caressed. Sharp nails dug into the smooth, pale skin of Dom's buttocks as Billy pulled Dom tighter against his body. The fingertips of one hand traced Dom's kiss-swollen lips, gasping as Dom sucked them into his mouth before he trailed his hand down Dom's back. Calloused, saliva slick fingers brushed across Dom's buttocks, fingers digging desperately into the soft, fleshy globes, pulling Dom deeper, tighter into him.

Pulling Billy almost off the table as he straightened, Dom threw his head back and moaned, his neck exposed as he thrust erratically into Billy's body.

Feeling himself slipping from the edge of the table, one arm wrapped itself around Dom's waist, the other around his neck, pulling his head down for a sloppy, wet kiss. Dom's hand worked feverishly between their bodies, pumping, stroking and twisting Billy's arousal, his thumb brushing across the slick tip with every firm stroke.

"Please…." Dom grunted as he thrust up into Billy, pinning him between himself and the table edge as he pounded into Billy.

The bruising touch of the table, Dom pounding into his body, his own sweat slick chest covered only by the tattered remnants of his shirt, his sensitive nipples aching from the abrasive contact with Dom's cotton shirt, the heat of Dom's lips on his neck, the myriad of tiny, stinging aches that already infested his taut body, Dom's fingers stroking his throbbing arousal all combined to push Billy over the edge of his control and spiraling into orgasm. Billy's arms and leg tightened around his lover, his sharp teeth piercing the skin of Dom's shoulder through the soft cotton tee-shirt he wore, before he threw back his head and almost screamed his release into the room, silent, save for the sound of their breathing and sweat slick skin touching.

As Dom felt Billy's release spurt over his fingers, his eyes opened wide for the briefest of moments, his body stilling, save for his hips that continued their wild thrusting into Billy's body. The tight contractions of Billy's muscles around Dom were the final straw. Wide eyes squeezed closed as his control shattered, Dom's arms gripped Billy to him tightly as his control shattered, as his release pulsed deep within his lover.

Dom's body trembled with exertion and the force of his orgasm as he held Billy tightly, his breath fanning the ginger hair atop Billy's head. Dom's heart pounding wildly against his chest he slowly began to regain coherent thought.

"You okay, my Dommie?" Billy asked as Dom slid from his body. Completely unable to explain the loss he felt, he tried to push it aside.

Dom's complete silence puzzled Billy. Pulling back, he trailed his fingers across Dom's chest, then up to cup his chin. Tilting Dom's face towards his own, Billy's discovery nearly broke his heart.

Tears trickled slowly down Dom's flushed cheeks.

"Dommie?" Billy asked him quietly. "Talk to me, Honey."

"I'm sorry….I'm so sorry," he murmured, over and over.

"For what?" Billy asked him, frowning as Dom flinched away from the hand that would stroke his tousled, sweaty head.

"I'm no better than Ethan," Dom whispered, his eyes wide with his own realization, "I'm not." He shook his head and pulled back, relinquishing his contact with Billy "I…..I raped you."

"You what?" Billy tried to step closer, to comfort Dom, but winced when the movement pulled at muscles that weren't accustomed to recent activities.

"I hurt you," Dom spoke flatly as his fingers reached out to touch the perfect set of teeth marks on Billy's throat.

"No." Billy tried to make Dom turn to look into his face, so that he could see Dom's eyes and have Dom know that Billy was telling him the truth. "Honey, you didn't hurt me, you marked me." He paused as Dom looked up at him, stormy blue eyes filled with glistening tears of sorrow and self loathing. "I haven't wanted anybody to do that to me in a very long time, Dom. Believe me, Honey, that wasn't rape. That was mutual lust, pure and simple."

"I forced you," Dom spoke blankly as he rearranged his clothing, covering himself, suddenly shy and embarrassed by his nudity. "I didn't even let you get undressed." Then he caught sight of the tattered edges of Billy's shirt. "Oh my God," he gasped. "I ripped your shirt off? How can you say that I didn't rape you, when that's exactly what Ethan did to me."

Billy watched helplessly as Dom walked away, desperate to pull him into his arms and comfort him. Dom emerged from the bathroom a few moments later with a soft, damp washcloth. Billy frowned until Dom fell to his knees in front of Billy, and reaching one hand between his legs began to gently and tenderly clean Billy.

"No, it's not, Honey," Billy murmured, the touch of Dom's hands and the damp cloth easing a sigh from his lips. "It's lust, it's passion, some might even say it's love, but this…this was not rape." He paused, spreading his legs wider, allowing Dom access to his body. "Let me ask you a question, Dommie?" At Dom's gentle nod, he continued. "Did you climax when Ethan took you?"

"Of course not," Dom gasped, looking up at Billy. "He hurt me."

"Did you tell him to stop, that you didn't want him touching you that way?"

"I kept screaming 'No' at him, over and over again, but he wouldn't listen." The tears that had been glistening on Dom's lashes trickled down his cheeks.

Billy pushed aside the unaccountable anger he felt towards Dom's attacker, because Dom didn't need that now. Instead, he reached down to take Dom by the wrist and pulled his hand to the sticky residue of his climax on his own belly.

"Honey, I don't think I've ever enjoyed anything quite this much." Billy lifted Dom's hand to his mouth and pressed his lips against it wetly. "Did you hear me say no? At all?" Billy asked gently. "I seem to recall helping you," Billy whispered. "I don't think that is standard date rape procedure, do you?" He smiled at Dom as he touched his hair slowly. "Please, Honey, you didn't do anything I didn't want or need." Swallowing a grimace, Billy flinched slightly as the soft terry cloth brushed against his entrance.

"But I did. I hurt you." Dom pulled away, moving to wipe Billy's belly clean.

"No, Dommie. I ache, yes, but you didn't hurt me. I haven't had anyone that way since my very first boyfriend. I'm sore from disuse not misuse," Billy said, then shrugged.

Dom looked up into his face, searching for the truth in Billy's eyes.

"Honestly, Dommie. I needed what just happened just as much as you," Billy murmured. "Please don't feel guilty. Besides, I marked you, too." His fingers reached out to trace the small spots of blood on the shoulder of Dom's t-shirt.

Dom stood in front of Billy, his cloth dabbing ineffectually at the bruises marks on Billy's chest, neck and shoulders, where he had been so out of control he had repeatedly marked Billy's pale skin.

"Don't, Dom," Billy spoke softly. "Don't feel guilty, when there is no guilt to feel. We wanted each other, I know I felt it. A fire that I didn't want to quench and couldn't control. It was hot and it was sexy and it was honest. Don't confuse that with what happened to you with that selfish bastard."

"I've never felt like that before, Billy," Dom murmured, pressing soft kisses against the purple marks he had left on Billy's shoulders.

"That was pure, white hot passion, Honey," Billy stated, his fingers carding through Dom's hair. "Don't ever apologize to me for that."

"It was wrong to do that." Dom shook his head. "Wrong."

"Why?" Billy gripped Dom's face in both of his hands, forcing their eyes to meet and lock. "You're so restrained, so controlled, you enjoy what we do, but there's always part of you that you hold in check. Do you know how goddamn sexy it was to know that I did that to you?" Billy's thumbs brushed across Dom's cheekbones "To feel you, so primal and untamed. To feel you inside me like that. I was…" Billy paused, drawing in an unsteady breath. "It was unbelievable. I have never….ever experienced ANYthing like that before."

Dom's eyes flicked across Billy's, desperately trying to find the truth of his words in his eyes.

"But I ripped your clothes off you. I bit you so hard I made you bleed." Dom shook his head.

"I didn't deny you anything, Honey, I couldn't, because I wanted every inch of you as badly as you wanted me. I couldn't have, wouldn't have stopped you. I. Wanted. You. Pure and Simple."

"Never?" Dom questioned softly, his fingertip tracing one of bitemarks gently.

"Never," Billy whispered. "I'm no virgin, Dommie." He paused. "But I have never been so turned on that my next breath means the difference between ecstasy and control." He leaned forward to press a wet kiss against Dom's forehead. "You do that to me. When we're together, I'm like a horny teenager in a room full of prom queens."

"Truly?" Dom searched his face for affirmation.

"Truly." Billy nodded. "I'm a lot of things, Honey, but I'm not a liar. Not to you."

"You swear I didn't hurt you. When Ethan…." Dom struggled to find the words he needed. "When he did that to me, he hurt me…badly….." Dom's voice cracked.

"He didn't care about you at all did he? He just looked out for himself didn't he?" Billy's angry features belied the calm tone of his voice.

"No," Dom sighed, sinking into Billy's embrace. "He made me bleed, Billy. It hurt so much." He drew in a shuddering breath. "I couldn't bear it if I did that to you."

"If I ever find that bastard, he's a dead man," Billy murmured under his breath. "You did what you could, Honey. Yes, I probably would've taken a couple more minutes to prep because it had been so long, but we were both frantic and desperate. I needed exactly what you gave me, Honey. I have no regrets, and I don't want you to either. I trust you. Even wildly out of control, you wouldn't hurt me. I'm absolutely certain of that. To know that you trust me that way is all I need, Honey."

"I already do," Dom spoke instantly. "Or we wouldn't be having this discussion now."

Billy pressed his forehead against Dom's, releasing a sigh of relief. "Thank you," Billy whispered, pulling Dom tightly against him, lips searching for and finding Dom's, kissing him gently.

"Billy?" David's voice sounded from somewhere outside. "One of the horses is having issues, and Viggo thought you should know," he called.

"Damn," Billy muttered against Dom's tousled hair.

"I'll be out shortly, Daisy," Billy called, not ready to release his hold on Dom just yet as he pulled Dom against his body tightly.

"Daisy?" Dom tilted his head back to look into Billy's face.

"I'll explain it later, Honey," Billy murmured, kissing the tip of Dom's nose gently before pulling back. "I've got to go," he sighed.

"You might like to get dressed first." Dom almost smiled as he watched Billy remember his state of undress.

"Probably a good idea," Billy said and nodded.

Dom slid to his knees in front of Billy, and carefully untangled his jeans. Slipping Billy's foot into the empty leg, Dom tenderly pulled the denim up his thighs, pressing his lips against the bruise forming on Billy's hipbone as he pulled the jeans up over his hips and tucked Billy into them carefully before sliding up his body.

"Wait right here," Dom whispered as he pressed a gentle kiss to Billy's passion swollen lips.

Moving into his bedroom, Dom pulled a western cut shirt from the wardrobe, and walking back out to Billy, Dom handed him the shirt. Well worn, soft, pale blue cotton quickly replaced the tattered strips of fabric left of Billy's own shirt. Leaning in to kiss Billy slowly, Dom let his fingers slide down Billy's back, pushing the hem of the shirt into place under the waistband of Billy's jeans.

"Keep that up and I won't be able to leave," Billy murmured against Dom's lips.

"Will you come back later?" Dom murmured, one long finger tracing Billy's bottom lip.

"Wild horses couldn't keep me away." Billy smiled. "I might even be able to bring us back some dinner."

"I'd like that." Dom nodded, lifting Billy's hat from the table and holding it out to him.

Billy leaned in for a short, soft kiss as he took the hat from Dom's long fingers. "Be back later."

Then he strode from the room without looking back. Stepping through the door, Billy wasn't at all surprised to see David sitting on the steps.

"You didn't have to wait," Billy stated as he walked down the steps past his brother.  
David shrugged. "Nowhere else to be."

"I'll have to remedy that," Billy said and then grinned.

"You alright?" David asked, his eyes squinting as he looked his brother over.

"Fine," Billy answered automatically. "Why?"

"Cos you're walking like you've been riding a green stallion bareback too long."

"Godammit, Daisy." Billy's temper started to wind up until David's words registered.

Bareback. He had been so caught up in his own need to feel Dom inside him and around him that he had completely forgotten protection. In over twenty years of intimate encounters, he had never forgotten before. Ever. Anger at himself bubbled within Billy. It wasn't that he was worried about health issues because of it, because Billy knew without a doubt they were both clean. It was the fact that Dom had filled his mind, his existence to such an extent that when they were together, nothing else mattered to him. Nothing. His only thoughts were of Dom, and how to elevate his pleasure when they were together.

"Or maybe it's the green stallion's been riding you too long," David murmured softly as he ducked his head to sniff at Billy's neck. "Someone smells like they've been ridden hard and put away wet."

"You're cruising, Daisy." Billy couldn't help but smile, despite the steel behind his words. "You may be bigger than me, but I can still kick your ass."

"Funnily enough, I didn't think kicking asses was what you're into." David laughed as he ducked Billy's mock punch. "By the way, think you can tell me where to find one of those mood shirts?"

"What are you talking about?" Billy pressed his hands to his hips as he stood still, his face a confused frown.

"I'm damn sure when you went in there," David gestured to Dom's ranch house, "that shirt was green, and you were pissy as hell. Now you're all calm and mellow and the shirt's blue. Must be a mood shirt." He laughed again.

"You're a perceptive bastard," Billy murmured as he turned on his heel and headed towards the bunkhouse. "Tell Viggo I'll just be a couple of minutes."

"Where ya going?" David frowned.

"To clean up." Billy shrugged. "It's bad enough you know."

"Well, in that case," David grinned and pulled a bandanna out of his pocket. "You might like to use this. A branding iron couldn't have made a clearer mark." His fingers pressed against his own neck in explanation.

Billy caught the bandanna that David threw and smiled before turning on his heel and jogging towards the bunkhouse.

[Chapter 15](http://community.livejournal.com/monaboyd/1627167.html)


	18. Western Lovers: Cowboys and Archaeologists 15/30

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Billy is a man to be reckoned with. Can Dom heal his wounded soul and his own into the bargain. Could Billy make him forget the bitter lessons of the past?

_**FIC: Western Lovers:Cowboys & Archaeologists 15/30**_  
  


[](http://photobucket.com)

  
 **Title:** Western Lovers: Cowboys and Archaeologists 15/30  
 **Author:** [](http://sassywitch.livejournal.com/profile)[**sassywitch**](http://sassywitch.livejournal.com/)  
 **Pairing:** BB/DM with a smattering of VM/LT and DW/OB  
 **Rating:** NC-17, to be on the safe side.  
 **Summary:** Billy is a man to be reckoned with. Can Dom heal his wounded soul and his own into the bargain. Could Billy make him forget the bitter lessons of the past?  
 **Feedback:** Feedback is my writers crack, which is not to be confused at all with plumbers crack.  
 **Disclaimer:** Not at all true in reality. These men whilst adorable and perfectly happy to slash themselves, their actual relationship is something that they only know. This story is adapted from a series of books that I adored when I was younger written by Elizabeth Lowell.  
 **Word Count:** 4970  
 **Header Art:** Courtesy of the incredibly talented [](http://loki-girl.livejournal.com/profile)[**loki_girl**](http://loki-girl.livejournal.com/)  
 **Previous Chapters:** can be found [Here](http://www.livejournal.com/tools/memories.bml?user=sassywitch&keyword=Western+Lovers&filter=all)  
 **A/N:** A huge thank you to [](http://dylan-dufresne.livejournal.com/profile)[**dylan_dufresne**](http://dylan-dufresne.livejournal.com/) for the inspiration, the prodding and the beta. My grammar sucks so she had to suffer it so nobody else would. Next Chapter on Wednesday  
~*~*~*~

Dom sat on the long porch at the back of the old ranch house, Pounce cradled in his lap as he watched the sun set, his hair still damp from the shower he'd taken a little while ago. He had no intention of leaving his haven tonight; his nerves were still too raw from the morning's events to want to be around the boisterous ranch hands. Besides, Billy had all but promised to bring supper back with him, so Dom had dressed in loose fitting, flowing yoga pants and a soft cotton t-shirt, his feet bare. His fingers scrunched through Pounce's thick fur as he rocked in the hand crafted rocking chair.

"I'd still trade places with that damn cat in a heartbeat," Billy's voice stated.

"You don't need to trade." Dom smiled as he turned his head. "You get the premium service."

"Livvie sent dinner down for you since you didn't turn up at meal time," Billy added. "She thought you might be tired."

"I might be," Dom spoke with a subtle grin. "That shirt looks good on you." His heart skipped a beat as he noticed Billy's muscles flex under the worn blue fabric.

"Smells good, too." Billy stepped behind the chair and tilted it back so he could nuzzle Dom's neck. "Just like a certain sexy archaeologist, like warm sunshine and the sweetest sweat."

Inhaling sharply, Dom tilted his head to one side to give Billy access. "You're like a drug," he sighed as Billy's lips touched the soft skin of his throat.

"Funnily enough, I know that you're addictive." Billy squatted down beside the chair, his hand trailing across Dom's face. "I spend all day wanting to come to you, and wishing we were back at Arwen Canyon."

"Me too," Dom whispered, turning his face to press his lips against Billy's palm. "Are you okay?" he asked quietly. "I'm not proud of what I did to you this morning."

"Don't be daft," Billy chided softly. "I'm fine, a little sore, but I'm a big boy. I'll deal." He stood and lifted Pounce off Dom's lap. "But I do want to talk to you."

"What's wrong?" Dom asked his skin paling under his tan. "I did hurt you, didn't I?"

"Honey, I told you, you didn't hurt me. However, I did something that I shouldn't have."

"What?" Dom frowned. "I thought I was the one that did all the doing."

Billy couldn't help but smile at his question. "You were," he said as he nodded in agreement. "But I forgot something. We didn't use protection, Dom. I promise you, I'm clean, but I have no excuses. In my entire life, I have never forgotten before. Never."

"It's alright, Billy. I trust you." Dom said with a sigh. "I thought it was something serious."

"It was serious, Honey. You can't just trust anyone when they tell you they're clean."

"I'm not. I'm trusting you."

"Not everybody's clean when they say they are, Dom. You're so pure and innocent and trusting. Somebody is going to hurt you badly if you blindly trust them."

"You're not listening to me, Billy."

"I don't want to see you hurt, Dommie." Billy finally looked up into Dom's face, his hand tracing Dom's cheek gently.

"Are you going to hurt me, Billy?" Dom asked gently.

"I could never deliberately hurt you, Dommie. Never."

"Then you're not going to see me hurt then." Dom smiled at him, his teeth nipping at the tip of Billy's thumb as it traced his lips.

"Dom, you need to be realistic," Billy said, and then sighed.

"I am," Dom replied. "You're the only one I ever want to…you know." Trailing off, he blushed.

"Dommie." Billy leaned forward to press a wet kiss on Dom's lips. "You're not being sensible."

"I'm being very sensible." Dom argued, and then lifted both hands to clasp Billy's face and hold him, eagerly resuming their kiss.

"It won't work, Dom," Billy whispered as he lifted his mouth from Dom's lips briefly.

"What won't?" Dom murmured, wrapping his arms around Billy's neck.

"Distraction." Billy's lips moved to Dom's earlobe and tugged on it gently.

"Then let’s not call it distraction," Dom whispered "Lets call it practice."

"You don't need practice." Billy trailed his tongue down Dom's neck.

"I think I do." Dom tilted his head back giving Billy access to more of his neck. "Stay with me tonight, Billy?"

"Do you want me to?" Billy answered absently, lapping at his lover's salty skin.

"Thought about it all afternoon," Dom moaned as Billy's tongue trailed across his throat.

"It's not right," Billy whispered "Your reputation."

"I don't give a damn," Dom whimpered as Billy's teeth found his other ear. "I want to go to sleep, wrapped up in my Billy."

"How can I say no to that?" Billy spoke into Dom's lip.

"Please say you can't." Dom pulled back to look into Billy's face. "I love being out at Arwen Canyon, because for the first time in my adult life, I don't feel alone. But when we're back here, I'm lonely for you, Billy. Please don't say no."

"How could I say no to you?" Billy sighed.

"Everybody else does," Dom said as he shrugged.

"I can't. Not since the very first time I saw you, the sun shining against your honey hair. You're like an irresistible force that I can't pull away from, even if I wanted to," Billy whispered against Dom's neck, so quietly that Dom had to strain to hear him.

"Does that mean you're staying?" Dom let his long fingers twist in Billy's ginger hair. "Please say yes."

Billy stood and extended a hand to Dom, gently pulling the younger man to his feet. "I think it might," he said, smiling at Dom.

"Good." Dom grinned at him. "I vote we go to bed early."

"How early?" Billy said, laughing.

Dom looked at the watch on Billy's wrist. "I don't know, let's say…about now?"

"What about dinner?" Billy pointed to the picnic basket Liv had packed.

"Not hungry. We'll have it later."

"We will, will we?" Billy asked one eyebrow quirked

"Yup," Dom nodded "But the crumbs can stay on your side of the bed."

As Dom pulled him by the hand into the house, Billy dropped the picnic basket on the kitchen table and Dom dragged him through the kitchen and workroom, and finally into the bathroom. As they entered the small room, Dom turned to face Billy, his eyes dark with arousal and glistening with emotion as he kissed Billy wetly.

"Thought we were going to bed, Honey," Billy whispered against Dom's lips.

"We are," Dom murmured, his lips brushing teasingly against Billy's pale skin. "But I'm not blind. I can see you're hurting. I thought you might like a hot shower."

Billy's lips found Dom's and capture them in a long, wet kiss. "You joining me?"

"Can't think of anywhere else I'd rather be." Dom moved across the room to turn on steaming water, the fingers of one hand still laced with Billy's.

Facing his lover, Dom slowly unbuttoned Billy's shirt, peeling it slowly from his muscular frame, his long fingers tracing the bruises that marred Billy's pale skin. Leaning in, Dom placed feathery soft kisses against each mark, pressing his face against Billy's chest, listening to Billy's heartbeat before he pressed a wet, open mouthed kiss there.

Billy itched to lift his hands and touch Dom, but something stopped him. He wasn't sure why he hesitated, maybe it was the image of Dom in the mirror behind them, watching Dom lavishing his care and attention on Billy, or maybe it was just the fact that he didn't want to disturb Dom or God forbid, distract him from his task.

As Dom's fingers closed over his belt buckle, Billy gave in to temptation and let his fingers card softly through Dom's damp hair. Silently, Dom's lips followed the removal of Billy's clothing, soft kisses covering the marks of their earlier passion, the feel of his tongue flicking across the pale bruises and abrasions, drawing a ragged moan from Billy's lips.

Dom straightened, rising to pull Billy completely against him as their mouths met in a wet, tongue tangling kiss. Pressing his fingers against Billy's shoulders as they kissed gently, Dom directed Billy back until his buttocks rested against the edge of the vanity unit.

Sliding down Billy's body, letting his mouth follow the path of his questing hands, Dom lifted one of Billy's feet and pulled his boot off, then repeated the procedure with his other foot. His long fingers held Billy's foot, gently caressing and massaging the pale skin.

Billy's fingers tightened in Dom's hair, his head tilting back, a long low moan parting his lips as he felt Dom's massaging fingers.

"Come back up here," Billy murmured.

Dom leaned forward and pressed a kiss against the top of Billy's foot, his mouth twisting into a grin as he lifted Billy's foot slightly and sucked his big toe into his hot mouth, caressing the digit with his tongue. Swirling his tongue around Billy's toe, Dom sucked it gently, his eyes lifting to look into Billy's face.

"Please Dommie?" Billy whimpered, arousal arcing through his body with a force he hadn't expected.

With a final sucking lick, Dom placed Billy's foot back on the floor and rose to stand fully clothed in front of his naked, aroused lover.

"Where did you learn to do that?" Billy murmured as his mouth collided with Dom's wetly, their tongues licking, tasting, and plunging into each other's mouths, desperate for the contact.

Dom shrugged, his hands sliding across Billy's skin "It just felt right," he whispered, his tongue flicking at the marks on Billy's neck. "You didn't like it?" He lifted his head to look into Billy's face.

"I can't believe you have to ask that," Billy almost laughed as his hands found the bottom of Dom's t-shirt. Slipping his hands underneath, Billy's calloused fingertips danced across Dom's back dimples before he pulled the shirt up and over Dom's head, dropping it to the floor beside them.

"You're the one with all the experience." Dom pulled back and looked at Billy, his eyes serious. "I just want to please you."

"Trust me, Honey." Billy untied Dom's belt with quick, deft movements. "You do that just fine."

"I don't want to do 'just fine'," Dom protested, licking at Billy's neck as Billy pushed Dom's pants down to pool at his bare feet. "I want to scramble your nerve endings and melt your mind the way you do mine."

"I think you're well on the way," Billy sighed as Dom's questing fingers found and pinched at his nipples. He tilted his head back and almost whimpered with the sensations that the simple action invoked in him. "Definitely well on the way."

"Want to get wet, Ramrod?" Dom asked, smiling as his long fingers danced across Billy's quivering belly.

"You know," Billy pulled Dom's face to his and kissed him slowly. "Sometimes you amaze me."

Dom pulled back and frowned at Billy, his arousal-clouded mind trying to understand Billy's cryptic words. Stepping into the shower cubicle, Dom extended one long, elegant hand, and it took a split second for Billy to slide his fingers into Dom's and step under the pulsating jets of steaming water.  
The water sprayed against Billy's back as Dom turned him to face the wall, his long fingers kneading and caressing the tension out of Billy's shoulders. Bracing his hands against the white tiles, Billy's body almost melted into Dom's touch.

"Good?" Dom leaned against Billy's frame, his mouth pressed against Billy's ear as he whispered huskily.

"Mmmm," Billy murmured.

Dom trailed his lips down the muscular length of Billy's spine, pressing soft kisses to each vertebra as he traveled lower. Tongue lathing the dimples at the base of Billy's spine, Dom pressed a wet, open mouthed kiss against each of them, before letting his tongue trail gently between Billy's tight buttocks.

Billy tensed at the gentle intrusion, his body painfully aware of his day's activities.

"Dom," he moaned, unable to relax into Dom's caresses.

"It's alright, Billy," Dom murmured, his face pressed against the small of Billy's back as he spoke. "I won't hurt you again."

"You didn't hurt me before," Billy sighed as Dom's tongue brushed against his entrance. He moved his legs further apart, granting Dom greater access, even as Dom reached one arm up to find Billy's hand and laced their fingers together. His tongue brushed back and forth across the tight pucker, over and over, never pressing for entrance, just brushing against him, tasting and teasing.

Fingers laced with Dom's, Billy squeezed tightly as Dom's talented tongue worked its magic, his other hand pressed against the white tiles beside his face. Cheek pressed against the tiles, Billy's eyes close as he's overwhelmed with the pleasure he's receiving.

"Keep that up, Dommie," Billy groaned as Dom's tongue barely penetrated him. "And aching or not, I'll beg you to do it again."

"I don't want to do it again," Dom whispered as he trailed his lips along Billy's spine. “I want you inside of me." Dom's swollen lips caressed Billy's ear as he nipped the tender skin there.

Dom's thick erection rubbed against the tight cleft between Billy's cheeks as he kissed and sucked at the sensitive skin of the older man's neck. The pulsating water pounded against Dom's back as he struggled to control himself, his hips jerking erratically against his lover, one hand trailing across Billy's ribs to curl around Billy's erection and stroke him wetly.

"Please Billy," Dom whispered, his teeth catching Billy's earlobe. "I want you deep inside of me. I need you, Billy."

Billy's breathing hitched as he fought against the wave of burning climax that threatened to wash over him. Dom's seductive words and the tight, desperate pressure of his long, elegant fingers on his arousal, burning into his soul, ate away at Billy's resistance, completely demolishing the thought that he should put some distance between them. Instead, his hand covered Dom's on his erection before he pulled the long, talented fingers from his throbbing flesh.

"Please Billy," Dom murmured, his tongue trailing across the fragile shell of Billy's ear. "I'll beg if you want me to." Moving lower, Dom nipped at Billy's sensitive ear lobe. "I'll drop to my knees and worship you, beg you to take me, even as I suck you." Dom's hand returned to Billy's arousal to tug roughly, his fingers gripping tightly, sliding faster along the slick skin, his grip punishing.

"Fuck, Honey," Billy whimpered as his hips jerked into Dom's hand "If you don't stop that…..I….won't. Last."

Pulling out of Dom's embrace, Billy flipped their positions quickly, startling Dom. His hands roamed frantically all over Dom's body, fingers trailing up and down Dom's back, Billy clutched Dom's buttocks tightly as he pulled Dom closer. Every downward stroke of Billy's fingers induced an upward stroke of his hips, their hard erections rubbing wetly across each other. The fingers of one hand closed around Dom's erection and caressed it slowly, wetly, before Billy sank slowly to his knees in front of his lover, his lips pressed against Dom's tip teasingly, his pointy tongue darting out to flick back and forth, tasting his lover.

Dom tilted his head back against the wall and moaned loudly, his fingers carding through Billy's hair as Billy's tight mouth wrapped itself around his arousal and sucked, his tongue licking Dom as he stroked. As Dom's entire body began to tense, his climax building fiercely at the base of his spine, his toes curling with the sensation of the tight suction of Billy's mouth on him, Billy completely amazed him.

The fingers of one hand slid between Dom's buttocks, rubbing against his entrance, and then one finger pushed deep inside him with a single thrust. While his entire body gripped Billy's penetration and the intense suction on his throbbing arousal, Dom's head tossed from side to side as he unraveled before Billy's upturned, slumberous eyes. That was when Billy's fingers curled around the base of Dom's cock and squeezed tightly, leaving Dom hanging on the precipice of a bone melting orgasm.

Billy lifted his mouth from Dom and slid up his body, his fingers still wrapped tightly around Dom's throbbing arousal.

"Honey, if we don't get out of here now," he growled against Dom's neck as his teeth nipped, "I'm going to take you right here, your body slick from the shower."

"Do it," Dom groaned, his fingers digging into Billy's biceps as he struggled, his hips jerking into Billy's iron grip, desperate for release. "Please, Billy," he whimpered. "Please. I. Need. You. Now."  
Leaning up to squeeze the bottle of shower gel that hung from the showerhead Billy awkwardly poured some into his palm. His mouth fastening onto Dom's shoulder, sucking and nipping at the tender skin, Billy's soapy hand pressed between Dom's buttocks, his fingers sliding across and into Dom's entrance, plunging, twisting and scissoring, even as his other hand slowly loosened its grip.

"Are you sure?" Billy whispered as he nipped at Dom's earlobe.

"For fucks sake, Billy," Dom almost whined. "I. Can't." His breath stuttered, and his eyes rolled back in his head as Billy's fingers brushed repeatedly, insistently across his prostate. "Please. Now. Now." Dom's fingers gripped at Billy's shoulders, his nails biting into Billy's skin while his hips bucked erratically. "Please."

Wrapping one hand around Dom's thigh and lifting it so that it rested against his hip, Billy tilted his own hips and let his insistent arousal nudge at Dom's entrance as his fingers guided the way into Dom's body. Slowly, tenderly pushing into Dom, his thick length pressing past the tight ring of muscle,

Billy's mouth swallowed Dom's gasp as he struggled to still his movements while Dom adjusted to him.  
In the longest seconds of his adult life that he had endured, Billy fought against the tide of his own orgasm while the tight grip of Dom's body pushed him to the limits of his endurance, until finally Dom's hips began to rock against his. Billy's hands caressed down Dom's sides, fingers tracing ribs as Dom undulated against him, water washing over them, slicking their skin and sluicing over trembling muscles as their skin slapped against the others. Pale against golden, thin against lean, trembling against quivering until there was only one entity, the lovers movements blurred into frantic caresses and wet, open mouthed kisses.

Fingers tracing Dom's body, finally coming to rest on his thighs, Billy tugged insistently as he pulled Dom's other foot from the ground so Dom's thighs wrapped snugly around his hips, Dom's feet drumming against the back of his legs. Each upward stroke of Billy's hips, brushed his arousal against Dom's prostate, drawing a strangled cry from Dom's lips, his erection caught between their bodies, abraded by the soft covering of hair on Billy's belly as he rocked into Dom. Pinned to the tile wall, held up by Billy's strong arms and thrusting hips, Dom's nails scored at Billy's muscular back as he struggled to hold on.

"Don't," Billy growled into Dom's mouth. "Don't. Fight. It."

His shoulders pressed against Dom as his thrusts pushed Dom harder against the tiles, one of Billy's hands dropped between them, fingers wrapping around Dom's throbbing length. Fingers gripping Dom tightly as he pushed, pulled and twisted, Billy stroked Dom harder and faster, and while he dragged his fingertips along Dom's length, Billy let his tongue trail around Dom's ear, whispering unintelligible words.

"Do you feel what you do to me, Dom?" Billy fingers squeezed tighter as he stroked.

"I feel like I'm a part of you," he whimpered against Billy's mouth as his fingers scraped along Billy's pale skin.

"I can't think when I'm inside you," Billy replied breathlessly, his thumb flicking across Dom's slick tip, squeezing as his stroke twisted.

"I don't want you to think," Dom moaned hungrily.

"I need to hear you come for me, Honey." Billy's tongue flicked out to lick Dom's neck.

"No." Dom groaned, rocking hungrily into Billy's touch. "Want this to last forever."

"Please Dommie," Billy begged. "Let go for me," he added, nipping at the tender skin behind Dom's ear.  
The gentle lapping, and Billy's growling brogue in his ear, the tight stroking of his fist and the feeling of his lover buried deep inside him, all combined to push Dom over the edge of his own control. Head rolling from side to side against the slick tiles, his nails digging into Billy's skin, Dom's climax pulsed over Billy's fingers as he sobbed out his release.

Feeling Dom's body squeezing him tightly, Dom's intimate fluids sluicing from his fingers under the shower jets, and Dom's almost tortured sobs of pleasure were Billy's undoing. There was one final thrust into Dom's tightly gripping body, and then Billy threw his head back, finding his own release, deep within his lover.

Climax stealing his strength, knees no more than a gelatinous wobble under him, Billy sank to the floor of the shower stall, pulling Dom down the wall with him. Hands cupping Dom's buttocks as they finished their descent, Billy came to rest on his knees, Dom straddling his thighs, his slender body wrapped around Billy's like a second skin, both of them struggling to regain their breath.

[Chapter 16](http://community.livejournal.com/monaboyd/1629471.html)

  



	19. Western Lovers: Cowboys and Archaeologists 16/30

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Billy is a man to be reckoned with. Can Dom heal his wounded soul and his own into the bargain. Could Billy make him forget the bitter lessons of the past?

_**FIC: Western Lovers:Cowboys & Archaeologists (16/30)**_  
  


[](http://photobucket.com)

  
 **Title:** Western Lovers: Cowboys and Archaeologists 16/30  
 **Author:** [](http://sassywitch.livejournal.com/profile)[**sassywitch**](http://sassywitch.livejournal.com/)  
 **Pairing:** BB/DM with a smattering of VM/LT and DW/OB  
 **Rating:** NC-17, to be on the safe side.  
 **Summary:** Billy is a man to be reckoned with. Can Dom heal his wounded soul and his own into the bargain. Could Billy make him forget the bitter lessons of the past?  
 **Feedback:** Feedback is my writers crack, which is not to be confused at all with plumbers crack.  
 **Disclaimer:** Not at all true in reality. These men whilst adorable and perfectly happy to slash themselves, their actual relationship is something that they only know. This story is adapted from a series of books that I adored when I was younger written by Elizabeth Lowell.  
 **Word Count:** 4021  
 **Header Art:** Courtesy of the incredibly talented [](http://loki-girl.livejournal.com/profile)[**loki_girl**](http://loki-girl.livejournal.com/)  
 **Previous Chapters:** can be found [Here](http://www.livejournal.com/tools/memories.bml?user=sassywitch&keyword=Western+Lovers&filter=all)  
 **A/N:** A huge thank you to [](http://dylan-dufresne.livejournal.com/profile)[**dylan_dufresne**](http://dylan-dufresne.livejournal.com/) for the inspiration, the prodding and the beta. My grammar sucks so she had to suffer it so nobody else would. Next Chapter on Monday.  
~*~*~*~

Billy had been right about the length of the drive to Arwen Canyon after all. And the silence. Dom slept most of the way, despite the roughness of the road, telling Billy two things. The first was that Dom trusted his driving skills, but Billy already knew that. The second was that Dom was exhausted after last night, especially to sleep so soundly, now in the rolling front seat of the pickup.

When Billy could stand the silence no longer, he said, "Dom."

Dom's eyes opened, dark and smoky, their color an indigo as bottomless as twilight.

"I'm sorry that I wasn't there when you woke," Billy said, watching the road. One look at Dom's eyes had been enough. "Or maybe it wasn’t me that’s put that burr under your saddle, maybe Pounce's purring kept you up all night."

"Pounce hunts at night." Dom answered automatically. The thought of the cat gliding through darkness in search of prey reminded Dom of Billy's younger brother. "Like David."

"He lived as a warrior too long. Like me. And like me, David will heal," Billy said matter of factly. "It just takes time."

Dom made a sound that could have meant anything.

Billy waited, but no more sounds came from the other side of the truck.

"I was glad to see that David and Viggo didn't have to sort things out the hard way," Billy continued, attempting to fill the quiet. "They'll get along fine, now that life has knocked some sense into both of their hard heads."

Dom said nothing.

With a hunger Billy wasn't aware of, he watched Dom for a few seconds before the road claimed his attention again. Telling himself to be patient, he waited for Dom to speak. And he waited.

And waited.

Billy was still waiting when they traversed Elf Wash and bumped up Arwen Canyon to the overhang. It wasn't the first time he and Dom had gone without conversation, but it was the first time since they had become lovers the silence hadn't been comfortable. since they'd become lovers, yes. before that, no. first day was awful at the beginning. Getting out of the truck didn't increase Dom's desire to talk, and they unloaded supplies with a minimum of words, each doing his accustomed part around the camp.

Without a word, Billy carried the two bedrolls to the edge of the overhang, dragged two camp mattresses over and began making up the single, oversize bedroll he and Dom would share. Billy sensed Dom watching him, but he said nothing, and when he straightened and looked around, he saw Dom shrugging into his backpack, clearly preparing to go out and sketch in the rapidly failing light. Before another breath was taken, Billy's arm shot out, and his fingers curled hard around Dom's slender wrist.

"Dammit!" Billy cursed. "I thought we had sorted this out. You were the one who came to me, and I never promised you anything!"

Dom's eyes were wide and dark against his pale face. For a long, stretching moment, he looked at Billy, letting the truth echo around him like thunder, while painful lightning searched through his body and soul.

"Yes," Dom said huskily. "I know."

Billy's hand tightened. Dom's agreement should have made him feel better, but it didn't. He kept remembering the moment when he had looked at Dom, with eyes still dazed by his first taste of sexual pleasure, and whispered that he loved Billy.

Now, Dom's eyes were filled with pain, and Billy had never before felt another person's pain as clearly as his own until now.

"Listen to me," Billy said roughly. "The pleasure you feel when we have sex- that isn't love. It will wear off. It always does. But until it does, there's no reason you shouldn't enjoy it to the fullest."

The slight flinching of Dom's eyelids was the only betrayal of his emotions. "That's very kind of you, William."

Dom's soft, even voice scored Billy like a whip.

"Kind? I'm not some damned charity worker. I'm a man, and I enjoy sex with you a Hell of a lot more than I've ever enjoyed it with anyone else. What we have in bed is damned rare, and I know it, even if you don't!"

Dom looked up into the blazing clarity of Billy's eyes. He didn't doubt that Billy meant exactly what he had said. Dom drew a deep breath, drinking in Billy's complex truth to the last bittersweet drop. Pleasure, not love. But a rare pleasure, one he valued.

"I'm glad," Dom said finally.

And that, too, was a complex, bittersweet truth.

Billy should have been relieved at Dom's acknowledgment, that what they shared in bed wasn't love, but he wasn't relieved. Dom understood, he agreed-and somehow Dom had never been farther away from him, even the first day when he had turned and run from him.

Swearing beneath his breath, Billy stood with his fingers locked around Dom's wrist and wondered how they could be so painfully honest with each other and yet somehow allow an important truth to slide through their fingers like rain through sand, sinking down and down and down father out of reach with every second.

"To hell with talking," Billy growled savagely.

Billy bent his arm, bringing Dom hard against his body, his tongue searching the surprised softness of Dom's mouth with urgent movements. The hunger that had been just beneath his surface blazed up, shortening Billy's breath, making his blood run heavily, hardening his body in a rushing instant that he felt all the way to his heels; but Dom was stiff in his arms, vibrating with emotions that had little to do with desire.

"Don't fight me, Honey," Billy gasped heavily against Dom's mouth, his voice as dark and hot as his kiss had been. "What we have is too rare and too good to waste on anger."

Billy probed the centre of Dom's ear with the hot tip of his tongue, feeling Dom shudder helplessly in response, and when he probed again, Billy was rewarded with another sensuous shiver. With a low sound of triumph, he caught the rim of Dom's ear between his teeth and bit delicately, repeatedly, demanding and also pleading for his response.

The intensity and need within Billy reached past Dom's pain to the love beneath. He tried to speak, but didn't trust his uncertain hold on his emotions, and slid his arms around Billy's lean waist instead. Billy's breath came out in a barely audible sigh of relief when he felt Dom soften against him.

"Dom," Billy whispered, hugging him in return. "Honey, I don't want to hurt you. When you gave yourself to me that first time, looking right at me, knowing to the last quarter inch how much I wanted you…" Memory lanced through Billy making him shudder. "Yet you held out your arms to me. No one has ever trusted me like that. I was so afraid of hurting you, almost didn't go through with it."

Dom looked at him with startled blue eyes.

"It's true," Billy said easing his fingers into Dom's silky soft hair. "I was arguing with myself all the way down into your arms. Then you took me so perfectly, and I knew I wouldn't hurt you. Your body was made for mine, and somehow you knew too, didn't you? That's why you watched me with such curiosity and hunger, day after day, until I thought I would go crazy. You fit my hands perfectly, my arms, my mouth, my body. I knew it was going to be so damned good. I was right. It was good then, and it's even better now, each time better than the last."

The words caressed Dom even more that the heat of Billy's body or the pressure of his fingers rubbing slowly down Dom's spine.

"Is it that way for you too?" Billy asked. "Tell me its that way for you, too."

He bent to kiss Dom's neck with barely restrained force, arching Dom against his body, letting Dom feel his strength and what he had done to him.

"Honey?"

"Yes," Dom said as he gave himself to Billy's power. "You must know it is, Billy. Don't you know?"

"I do now," he murmured against Dom's hair, and then he whispered it again.

Slowly, Billy straightened, and he held Dom gently against his chest, just held him, as thought he were afraid to ask for any more than Dom had already given him.

And he was.

"Go ahead and sketch while you still have light," Billy said finally, kissing Dom's eyelids, brushing his lips gently across Dom's mouth, caressing without demand. "I'll open the new box of shards and see what the grads found over the weekend."

Shaking, feeling like crying in protest when Billy turned away, hungry for him in a way that eclipsed anything Dom had ever felt before, Dom looked blindly out over Arwen Canyon. He couldn't force himself to walk away from the overhang, and the man he loved more with every passing day.

And with every single day, Dom was closer to losing him.

 _The pleasure you feel when we have sex-that isn't love. It will wear off. It always does._

But it wouldn't for him. Dom knew that as surely as he had known he could trust Billy not to force anything more from him them he wanted to give. Dom had been right, as Billy hadn't taking anything from him that Dom hadn't freely given.

It wasn't Billy's fault that he didn't want everything Dom had to give a man.

Though Dom knew sketching would be impossible, he took off his backpack, brought out his pad, opened it and sat down on the bedroll he would share that night with Billy. Adrift on the cool wind flowing down from the mesa top, Dom looked out over the canyon he loved. Seeing neither trees nor cliffs, no even the wild beauty of the setting sun, Dom only saw the image of the man he had come to love even more than the land.

In his mind, he saw Billy's face with eerie precision, each line that the sun and wind had etched around his eyes, eyes whose probing clarity had first unnerved, then fascinated him. The same was true of Billy's powerful, unmistakably male body; first it had frightened, and then finally if had fascinated and excited him.

Now, in the clear light of pain, Dom acknowledged what he had previously been too caught up within his own fears and needs to see-the shadows that lay beneath the clarity of Billy's eyes, the reserve that just used to lay beneath his passion, the internal wall he had built as carefully as an Anasazi cliff fortress, walls keeping Dom out, his own words describing solitude.

 _He lived as a warrior too long. Like me. And like me. David will heal. It just takes time._

 _But Billy hadn't healed. Not wholly._

Dom wanted to heal him. He needed to, but there were so few weeks left to remove scars that were years deep, a wounding so old, so accustomed a part of the man Dom loved, that Billy himself didn't even realize that he hadn't healed. He had scarred over, which wasn't the same thing at all.

"Such a pensive look," Billy said. Sitting down next to Dom, he glanced at the drawing in his lap. It was a close up of Arwen Canyon's ruins, detailing the precarious eyelash of a trail that led from the cliff dwelling up the face of the cliff to the mesa above. "Are you thinking about the Anasazi again, trapped within their own creation?"

"And time," Dom said his voice husky, aching as he flipped slowly through the sketchbook "Time is another kind of trap."

"Why? Are you getting behind with your sketching?"

"No, I'll be finished well within the deadline."

"Deadline?"

"The middle of August. That's when my contract with the Double L ends."

Billy looked deeply into Dom's eyes, wanting to protest what lay beneath Dom's quiet words; when the contract ended Dom would leave the Double L, and Billy Boyd.

Dom looked only at the sketch in his lap, praying that Billy would reach past the wall he had built and ask Dom to stay without the pretence of archaeological work between them.

 _Ask me to stay, Billy. As me as a man asks someone he wants and needs and might someday love. Please, love, ask me._

Silently, Billy's fingertips traced the line of Dom's chin, tilting Dom's face up to his lips. Billy kissed him slowly, seducing his mouth for long moments before accepting the invitation of Dom's parted lips and warm tongue. With controlled urgency, Billy began undressing him, only to discover that he was being undressed, as well, and relief coursed through him almost as violently as desire. Billy kissed Dom again, drinking deeply, urgently, from the man who haunted his sleep, even when he was lying by his side.

By the time the kiss ended, their breathing was ragged, their skin was bare, and clothes were scattered randomly around the bedroll.

Billy's hand slid from Dom's ankle to rest over the throbbing arousal at the apex of his thighs. The deep, sultry heat of Dom's body made blood hammer in Billy's veins, until he could hardly breathe.

"It's a little soon to be mentally packing your gear, isn't it?" Billy asked in a low, rough voice as he caressed Dom, calling forth a husky moan as his thumb brushed across Dom's leaking tip. "A lot could happen in the next few weeks."

"Could it?" Dom asked, hope leaping even more hotly than desire within his body.

"Sure. The Double L is going to need some expert advice on excavating the kiva you discovered. Who better than you to give it?"

Before Dom could speak, Billy took his mouth, and the slowly building pressure of his kiss arched Dom across Billy's hard forearm. Dom gave himself to the kiss and to the man, feeling desire and regret, caring and hunger, passion and restraint in Billy's embrace, every emotion except the love that filled him until he ached.

When the long kiss ended, Billy lifted his mouth with tangible reluctance.

"There's no reason not to extend your contract."

"Viggo might see it differently."

"Arwen Canyon is on my land," Billy revealed. "The dig is being underwritten by my money. If I want it to go beyond the middle of August, it will."

Dom shuddered from desire and grief mixed together, feeling as though he had been turned inside out until everything he was and could be lay exposed to the cool, sunset light. Bittersweet understanding of the difference between his own needs and Billy's knifed through him, and in its wake, an anguished acceptance.

Dom wanted Billy's laughter, his grief, his victories, his defeats, his silence, his conversations. Dom wanted his body, his mind, his family, and a lifetime of tomorrows. He wanted the passion that ran like invisible lightning between them, and he wanted every bit of it for as long as it lasted.

Dom loved Billy, Billy did not love Dom. But Dom could take from him what he wanted, and give him the only thing he wanted in return.

Rolling onto his side, Dom began running his hands down Billy's muscular torso, caressing and arousing him with the same motions.

"No, there's no reason as all not to extend the contract," Dom said, finding and teasing a flat, male nipple with his teeth. "Except common sense."

"What does that mean?"

"Simple. As simple as this."

As Dom's hands closed around the thick evidence of Billy's desire, Billy groaned with leaping need, and Dom continued talking as he caressed the length of Billy's body, scattering his thoughts, taking away everything but the heat of Dom's mouth.

"The Double L-" Dom's tongue probed Billy's navel as he trailed wet kisses across Billy’s skin.. "Can't afford to pay me." Dom closed his teeth on the tightly flexed muscles that joined neck and shoulder. A shudder moved through the length of Billy's body. "Not as much as I earn being an assistant professor at the university."

"We could – work something out. Weekends. Vacations," Billy stuttered, his breath hissing as Dom nuzzled his ear, teasing, biting. "Part time work. Something."

Dom's eyes closed against a wave of pain, but his mouth and hands remained gentle, loving Billy, sharing with and returning to him the amazing gift of passion he had given so generously to him. After a few moments, Dom could trust himself to speak again.

"You don't have to pay me to come to the Double L." Dom bit the hard muscle of Billy's biceps in a sensual punishment that was just short of pain. "All you have to do is ask. Or you can come out to Boulder when you feel like it."

"Dom…"

Dom waited, hoped.

Billy made a half angry, half helpless sound.

Dom let out his breath in a long, soundless sigh, knowing acceptance had been right and hope had been wrong.

"I agree," Dom said softly. "It's better to keep it just a summer affair."

"That's not what I said."

"No, but it's what you meant."

"Dammit," Billy said roughly. "I told you, I learned long ago that I'm piss poor partner material, and I'm not going to hurt you. And if this goes any further, I will hurt you."

"Did you? Will you?" Dom asked lifting his head and looking into Billy's narrowed eyes. "Or did you just decide sex isn't worth all the inconvenience of relationships?"

Bleak green eyes searched Dom's face.

Smiling sadly, Dom turned away and let his mouth slide down the warm muscular tension of Billy's abdomen. "It's alright, Billy. I learned something long ago, too. Then you came along and taught me that I haven't learned everything."

Dom's cheek rested for a moment on a dense cushion of ginger curly hair, and then his lips brushed flesh that was hot, smooth, and hard, pulsing with the swift beat of Billy's life. When Dom moved his head to test the resilience of Billy's thigh with his teeth, Billy made a deep sound. When Dom's head turned again, and the tip of his tongue touched him curiously, Billy's breath came out in a low groan that was also his lover's name.

“If I made you a promise," Dom said, biting Billy lightly once more, stroking the thick muscles of his thighs, skimming over without ever really touching the hard, violently sensitive flesh that he had aroused. "Would you trust me to keep it? Would you trust me not to ask for anything more ever?"

Blindly Billy reached for his jeans, his fingers seeking the familiar packet, and finding it.

"Billy," Dom whispered, brushing his lips over the musky cushion of hair, touching Billy's hot flesh with the tip of his tongue. "Do you trust my promise?"

Billy groaned as a fine sheen of passion broke over his skin, and his right hand clenched, crumpling the packet. "Honey, it's damned hard to think when you're doing that."

"Then don't think. Just answer from the instinctive part of you. Do you trust me to keep my promise about never asking for one more thing from you?"

"Yes," Billy said hoarsely, knowing as he spoke that it was true. He could trust Dom's word. "What do you want?"

"This."

The sound Billy made was a combination of surprise and searing pleasure as Dom's mouth tasted him with lingering, sensual curiosity.

"When I first asked you to kiss me," Dom whispered against Billy's hot skin. "It was because I wanted to be able to lead a normal life, and that meant responding to sex the way other people did. And it worked, up to a point, but then I began trying to imagine other men touching me the way you had, and I knew I wouldn't be able to go through with it."

"Fear?" Billy asked, the only word he could force past the passionate constriction in his throat.

Dom shook his head, and tendrils of silky hair brushed over Billy's skin in the instant before Dom's mouth circled him in a caress that took what little breath Billy had remaining, tasting him, loving him as Dom never had before. When the caress deepened, Billy whole body flushed with wild heat, and Dom held him for long moments, savoring him, loving the wildness coursing through Billy at his caresses. Slowly and reluctantly, Dom then released Billy from tender captivity.

Dom lifted his head and met the smoldering brilliance of Billy's eyes, the look in them making Dom's body melt. Billy felt it, knew that Dom wanted him as wildly as he wanted him, and had to close his eyes against the force of the need twisting though his body.

"It's not fear that will keep me away from other men," Dom said finally, biting Billy with great gentleness, feeling the wave of desire that swept through Billy's body almost as clearly as Dom did in his own. "It's the fact that I don't want them. Other men wouldn't have grass colored eyes that blaze with desire. Other men wouldn't have this scar here. Other men wouldn't be able to handle a brute and a kitten with the same ease. Other men wouldn't look like you, feel like you…taste like you."

Billy made a hoarse sound of intense pleasure of the moist cavern of Dom's mouth caressed him again. He called Dom's name roughly, feeling the world stripped away with each silky movement of his tongue.

"Make love without barriers for the weeks I have left on the Double L," Dom said. "Be completely naked inside me. No matter what happens afterward, there won't be any demands, any regrets." Slowly, Dom slid up Billy's body until the thick length of his arousal skimmed his own and drew a gasp from Billy's kiss swollen lips.

Billy's own breath came in with a harsh ripping sound as Dom slid over him. "I'm not sure I can hold back with you, Honey," Billy said roughly.

"Then don't," Dom said, shivering as he pressed his fingers against Billy's lips and watched as Billy sucked and licked at the long digits. Reaching back as he ground his arousal against Billy's, Dom prepared himself quickly.

Billy's right hand opened with a overwhelmed movement, sending the small packet tumbling onto the bed roll. He lay still but for the elemental tremors of desire coursing through his hard body.

"Last chance," he said thickly.

Dom's hips moved, and sultry fire licked over Billy. Shaking with a hunger he had never felt before, Billy knew he was going to take what he must have, what Dom was asking him for, what they both wanted until it was an agony not to have it. Billy had never taken anyone like this before, no barriers, nothing except violently sensitive skin, and a need so great it kept him on the breaking edge of self control.

When Billy's aroused flesh found the incredible softness and heat Dom had prepared for him, the sensation was so intense, he discovered he couldn't breathe. Billy felt each separate pulse of Dom's response as he parted the tight muscle, sheathing himself within Dom slowly, deliberately, and deeply, sharing his body and his own emotions in an exquisite deliberate intimacy that was just short of anguish.

"I've never been like this-before," Billy said thickly, his breath breaking, his accent unintelligible. "Deliberately, knowingly naked. Nothing. Held. Back. It's – I – can't-"

Billy went utterly still, fighting desperately not to lose control.

"Billy," Dom whispered, looking into the forest green blaze of his own making, feeling his own release, pooling low in his belly. "Fuck me, Billy. Come inside me, my love. For me."

A sound of hunger and ecstasy was torn from Billy's throat, and then ecstasy alone, Dom's name repeated in shattered syllables as Billy gave himself again and again to the sweet violence of a union unlike any he had ever known.

[Chapter 17](http://community.livejournal.com/monaboyd/1632947.html)

  



	20. Western Lovers: Cowboys and Archaeologists 17/30

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Billy is a man to be reckoned with. Can Dom heal his wounded soul and his own into the bargain. Could Billy make him forget the bitter lessons of the past?

_**FIC: Western Lovers: Cowboys & Archaeologists (17/30)**_  
  


[](http://photobucket.com)

  
 **Title:** Western Lovers: Cowboys and Archaeologists 17/30  
 **Author:** [](http://sassywitch.livejournal.com/profile)[**sassywitch**](http://sassywitch.livejournal.com/)  
 **Pairing:** BB/DM with a smattering of VM/LT and DW/OB  
 **Rating:** NC-17, to be on the safe side.  
 **Summary:** Billy is a man to be reckoned with. Can Dom heal his wounded soul and his own into the bargain. Could Billy make him forget the bitter lessons of the past?  
 **Feedback:** Feedback is my writers crack, which is not to be confused at all with plumbers crack.  
 **Disclaimer:** Not at all true in reality. These men whilst adorable and perfectly happy to slash themselves, their actual relationship is something that they only know. This story is adapted from a series of books that I adored when I was younger written by Elizabeth Lowell.  
 **Word Count:** 4096  
 **Header Art:** Courtesy of the incredibly talented [](http://loki-girl.livejournal.com/profile)[**loki_girl**](http://loki-girl.livejournal.com/)  
 **Previous Chapters:** can be found [Here](http://www.livejournal.com/tools/memories.bml?user=sassywitch&keyword=Western+Lovers&filter=all)  
 **A/N:** A huge thank you to [](http://dylan-dufresne.livejournal.com/profile)[**dylan_dufresne**](http://dylan-dufresne.livejournal.com/) for the inspiration, the prodding and the beta. My grammar sucks so she had to suffer it so nobody else would. Next Chapter on Monday.  
~*~*~*~  
"Did you forget something?" Dom asked.

Dom had been in the bathroom, dressing after his shower when he heard the gentle knocking on the front door of the old ranch house. Faded, blue striped pajama bottoms hung low on Dom's angular hipbones, the hems frayed where they dragged when he walked, and a tight, short-sleeved white t-shirt hugged his chest, the fabric almost transparent enough to see his skin through, as it has likewise seen better days. With a fluffy blue towel slung over his shoulder, Dom towel dried his hair with one hand and smiled as he anticipated his Billy's appearance on his top step.

Billy's breath caught in his throat as Dom appeared in the doorway. Softly lit by the light flowing from the workroom behind him, the light created a golden halo around Dom's damp, tousled honey blonde head, the lean lines of his body accentuated by the skin hugging scrap that he called a t-shirt, and the bare inches of golden skin between the bottom of the shirt and his low riding pajamas were exquisite to Billy's eyes. Looking up to meet Dom's gaze, Billy smiled, his mouth dry, his mind vacant of all but one thought. Dom had absolutely no clue how vulnerable, desirable and ultimately lovable that he was.

"I saw these on the way back," Billy almost stuttered, completely entranced by the glowing figure in front of him. "I thought you might like some…..company tonight." He extended a bunch of pale blue wild flowers from behind his back and a bottle of scotch in his other hand. "Maybe a drink before bedtime."

Dom's eyes widened as he looked at the untidy bunch of flowers in Billy's hand, the tiny blue blooms, intermingled with flowers of pure white petals, the green of their stems and leaves dark against Billy's skin. Tears stung Dom's eyes as he flickered between the flowers and Billy's face, his voice stolen by Billy's touching gesture.

"It was a silly idea," Billy murmured, seeing the expression in Dom's eyes. "Go to bed, Honey." He backed down one step, unable to drag his eyes from Dom's. "I'll see you in the morning."

"Billy?" Dom whispered uncertainly, extending one hand to trace a long, trembling finger across a flower.

Billy pressed the flowers into Dom's palm, his hand lingering on Dom's slender wrist, his thumb brushing across the dancing pulse point there.

"I didn't mean to upset you," Billy spoke as Dom pulled him inside the door. "I saw them on my way back, and by the time I showered, I knew you had to have some." Billy placed the bottle of scotch on the hall table, then lifted his hand until his knuckles brushed against Dom's cheek as Dom pushed the door closed and released Billy's other hand. "They're the color of your eyes, you know, not always, but after we've made love, all dark and smoky and blue…."

Dom silenced Billy with his mouth, flowers cascading from long, quivering fingers to the floor around their feet as Dom pressed Billy against the back of the door. His mouth meeting Billy's in a wet, open mouthed kiss, Dom's hands trailed down Billy's chest to grab at his heavy silver belt buckle.

Billy's hands gripped Dom's waist, pulling him closer. After Dom's teeth caught Billy's lip and tugged on it gently, Dom's tongue traced along his lip, following the nipping line of his teeth. Hands trembling and inhibiting his actions as he fought with Billy's buckle, Dom desperately tugged at the metal and leather, struggling to pull it free, or at the very least open. One long, bare foot slipped between Billy's ankles, Dom's feet framing Billy's left leg as his hips slid against Billy's thigh. Dom ground his heavy, insistent arousal against Billy, his every action begging Billy to ease his hunger.

Billy's head tipped back, hat tumbling to the floor as his head hit the solid oak door, baring the line of his throat for Dom's mouth. Wet, open mouthed kisses covering the skin of Billy's freshly shaved neck, and Dom's fingers ceasing their struggles with Billy's unruly buckle, one hand slides down to cup Billy's erection through the worn denim. Fingers knead the aroused ridge hungrily, Dom's other hand, trembling almost uncontrollably as it trails across the taut flesh of Billy's belly.

"Help me," Dom whispered against Billy's mouth as his teeth caught his earlobe and tugged.

Billy's hands rose to grip Dom's face and pull his mouth back to his own, and after kissing him hungrily, Billy pulled away, his thumbs caressing Dom's swollen bottom lip, his eyes never leaving Dom's. "Honey, if we don't slow down, this'll be over before you even get into my pants." He gasped as Dom's hand pressed harder against his arousal, increasing the friction of denim on his sensitive flesh. "Please Dommie…." he murmured, leaning back in to meet Dom's lips in an open mouthed, wet kiss. "We've got all night. Let me love you properly."

His stormy blue-grey eyes dark with the intensity of his arousal, Dom slid out of Billy's grasp, not to move away from him, but to slide slowly down the length of his body. Teeth teasing at Billy's hard nipples through the soft, green cotton shirt he wore, Dom's tongue trailed across the bottom of the shirt and dipped into Billy's navel, swirling in and out, his teeth nipping at the hair that curled gently on Billy's pale skin. Kneeling in front of Billy, his knees between Billy's feet, Dom nuzzled his cheek against the hard, denim covered ridge of arousal, turning to blow a hot breath on the denim playfully.

“Please Billy," Dom almost whimpered.

Billy's fingers clutched at Dom's shoulders, desperately trying to maintain any small shard of his rapidly unraveling control. Unable to find the strength to pull Dom back to his feet, Billy sank to his knees in front of him, wincing as the movement pulled the denim even tighter across his straining arousal. His hands framed Dom's face as their lips met, sliding across each other, wet, messy, open mouthed kisses, sliding across each other hungrily, desperate for some relief from the fire burning inside them.

"Honey," Billy whispered against Dom's skin as one hand slid lower to cup Dom's erection through his pajama bottoms. "We need to move, not here." He gasped as Dom's long fingers kneaded the denim covered ridge of his arousal, more insistently. "Please, Honey," he whimpered.

“Here.” One single word was dragged from Dom’s lips as he looked up into Billy’s eyes, his desperation and hunger a tangible force between them.

"Oh God, yes." Billy threw his head back and sighed as Dom's fingers squeezed at him.

"Touch me, Billy," Dom moaned as his mouth slid across Billy's throat.

Lifting his face to Billy’s, pressing his forehead against Dom's, Billy gulps in deep breaths, filling his lungs with the scent of Dom and the musky aroma of arousal. Struggling to cling tenaciously to sanity, Billy fights the overwhelming urge to throw Dom down on the polished floorboards and take him, there and then.

"If I touch you now, Honey," Billy panted, one hand gripping Dom's wrist, pulling his hand away from its kittenish kneading of his arousal. "You'll be flat on your back, right here, and I'll be so deep inside you neither of us will know where you end and I begin." He gasped as Dom kissed the corner of his mouth and a renewed wave of arousal washed over him. "Honey, please, help me make this perfect for you."

Dom caught Billy's face in his hands and looked deeply into his smoldering green eyes before he gripped Billy's strong, muscular biceps and pulled the cowboy towards him. Rolling onto his back on the hard, wooden floorboards, Dom urged Billy forward until he landed, straddling Dom's thighs, Dom's hands pressed against Billy's thighs, kneading them.

"Want you," Dom whispered, his voice deep and husky, broken with longing and arousal. "Don't care where."

Billy pulled Dom's hands from his thighs and leaned forward, kissing Dom wetly.

"I do," he whispered in reply against Dom's kiss-swollen lips. "You're better than a hard floor, Honey." Billy ground himself against Dom, smiling tightly at the whimper that bubbled from Dom's lips as their arousals met through layers of fabric. His hand reached between them and stroked Dom's thick erection through the soft cotton that covered him, rubbing his thumb across the damp fabric at Dom's tip.

"Bills," Dom whimpered as Billy's thumb brushed across his sensitive flesh repeatedly, and even through the damp fabric, Billy's touch shot arrows of bone melting arousal through him.

"Please," Dom whimpered, his long fingers clawing at the floor crushing the tiny flowers scattered under his palms. "I need you."

"No, Dommie." Billy moved forward, his accent almost unintelligible as his tongue licked a long, slow trail from the collar of Dom's too small shirt, up his neck and across his chin to press soft kisses to Dom's swollen lips. "You've got it all wrong." His words were punctuated by feathery kisses. "I need you," he whispered into Dom's mouth. "I want you, deep inside me." He paused. "If you want me."

Dom went still under Billy at his words. Almost immediately, Billy felt Dom's tension, and pressing his hands to the floor alongside Dom's head, Billy drew a deep, shuddering breath, his hand moving from the damp cotton, trying to work out exactly what had caused Dom's reaction as he struggled to breathe.

"Dommie?" Billy whispered. "Talk to me, Honey. What did I do?"

"I can't, Billy," Dom murmured. "Not after what I did." His eyes are filled with tears as he looked up into Billy's heavy lidded gaze.

"Can't what, Honey?" Billy soothed, leaning forward and resting his weight on his elbows. Stroking Dom's hair, Billy's fingers pause to twirl the soft blonde strands as he soothed his lover.

"You've given me so much, Bills," Dom whispered, pressing his face against Billy's neck. "I can't. Not after….," he stumbled over the words that he struggled to say, paused, then sighed sadly. "I don't want to disappoint you, Billy."

Billy's eyes glistened as he listened to Dom's stumbling confession. "Honey, I haven't given you anything that you haven't deserved tenfold." He pulled back so he could look into Dom's face. "Don't you know yet, you could never, ever disappoint me." He drew in a deep breath before he spoke again. "It's okay if you want to wait, Honey. we can do whatever you want, whenever you want."

Dom laid his head back against the floor and watched Billy, his skin flushed with arousal, and a sheen of sweat beading across his skin. Eyes heavy lidded and dark with arousal, Dom's lips were kiss swollen and edible. "Anything?" Dom murmured.

"Absolutely anything," Billy affirmed, ducking his head to nibble the skin along Dom's jawline, almost relieved the frantic pace had slowed, though his arousal hadn't abated, and had actually intensified at Dominic's confession.

Dom's hand lifted one of the tiny blue flowers from the floor at his side and trailed it along the shell of Billy's ear, smiling at the shiver that traveled the length of Billy's spine at the petals' touch. As Billy lifted his head, Dom pressed his lips to the blossom and tucked it behind Billy's ear. "No one has ever given me flowers before," Dom whispered.

"Kinda figured that," Billy said with a smile. "You deserve them." He nodded emphatically. "Anytime you want them."

"You know what else I want?" Dom murmured.

"Me, I hope." Billy smiled as he pressed kisses across Dom's chin.

"I have a lovely, big, sturdy bed," Dom whimpered as Billy's tongue licked his skin.

"You do. I've seen it." Billy grinned.

"It has a solid headboard," Dom stated as he tilted his head back to give Billy access to his throat.

"It does. Viggo carved it," Billy replied as he licked along the collar of Dom's t-shirt, elicitng a gasp of pleasure.

"It has a rails in it," Dom murmured, his fingers carding through Billy's hair.

"Indeed it does," Billy answered absently, his teeth nipping at Dom's nipples through the nearly transparent cotton.

"Sturdy rails, Billy," Dom whispered.

"Handcarved," Billy growled as he nibbled at Dom's heated skin.

"It's good hardwood, too." Dom groaned as Billy's lips reached the bottom edge of the t-shirt and he licked along Dom's belly, his tongue dipping into Dom's navel for a taste.

"Handpicked by Viggo, just for that purpose," Billy breathed against the now damp skin at Dom's waist.

"For what purpose?" Dom frowned, his hips arching up to meet Billy's mouth.

"To make that bed," Billy answered as he let his mouth press against the well defined ridge under the damp cotton fabric of Dom's sleepwear.

"Oh!" Dom exclaimed as Billy's mouth closed over his arousal.

Billy frowned and lifted his mouth, one hand pressing Dom's hips against the floor as he looked up into Dom's eyes. "What purpose did you think?" he asked lowering his mouth back down to Dom's erection once more.

"I thought you meant," Dom whimpered breathlessly as his hips arched and his fingers tangled in Billy's hair. "For me to tie you to and make wild hot love to."

Billy's eyes widened and his gaze flew to Dom's face, his body throbbing wildly at just the thought of being restrained and pinned under Dom's lithe, golden body. Breathing deeply, Billy struggled to pull his traitorous body back under control as Dom writhed against him. "Ohhhh, Honey," he whispered, one hand lifting to trace his thumb across Dom's bottom lip. "You're serious aren't you."

"Deadly," Dom whispered. "It won't be the same as….as what you wanted, but…."

"It'll be a thousand times better," Billy whispered. Rolling off of Dom's body, Billy laid on the floor beside him, turning his head to look into Dom's face. "A thousand times," he whispered again.

Dom smiled at the breathless tone of Billy's voice. Shifting onto his side, he reached down with hands that were suddenly sure of what they wanted, and what they needed. Quickly unbuckling Billy's belt, Dom leaned forward and pressed his lips to Billy's, as his hand opened Billy's well worn blue jeans, one slow button at a time. Dipping one of his hands inside the soft denim, Dom's long elegant fingers wrapped around Billy's throbbing arousal.

"Dommie." Billy's growl was strangled by the need Dom's touch invoked. "Please , Dommie. I can't. Not now," he whimpered against Dom's lips

"Yes, you can." Dom licked Billy's lips and kissed his cheeks, his chin, his neck, and anywhere else his mouth could reach. "You can for me."

Billy's hips arched up into Dom's hand as it slid along his slick arousal, fingers gripping Billy's flesh tightly and stroking him faster as Billy's hips stuttered. Dom could feel Billy's body tensing under him as his thumb flicked over Billy's leaking tip, his long fingers like a velvet glove, as they wrapped around his heated flesh. "Not now, Dommie," Billy growled "Not now. The bed, Dommie." Billy's voice was little more than a strangled sob as he let go of the final shards of his control. "The bed."

"You want to wait for the bed?" Dom murmured as he withdrew his hand, leaning back a little, watching Billy's flushed face, and felt his hips jerking up into the air, desperate for the contact again. Lifting his hand to his mouth, Dom licked the taste of Billy from his fingers.

"Sweet Jesus, Dommie." Billy's eyes were riveted to the sight of Dom licking him from his fingers, and when he begged, his voice little more than a growl. "Do it. Please, just touch me."

Dom let his hand trail down Billy's belly as he leaned in to kiss him wetly. "Come for me, my Billy."

"Dommie."

Billy's hoarse voice almost screamed as Dom's fingers closed around him again. The pressure of Dom's fingers and the sound of his voice in his ear, whispering, was Billy's undoing. Billy's hips arched up into Dom's grip, his body bowstring taut as he relinquished control of his body, orgasm washing over him like a tidal wave, the fluid pulsing over Dom's fingers as they milked the most incredible pleasure from his body that he could imagine.

As Billy relaxed against the cold wood of the floor beneath him, Dom curled into his side, wrapping his lithe body around Billy's now languid form. His own erection rubbing against Billy's hip as he cuddled into his lover. "See," Dom whispered as he kissed Billy gently. "Someone told me we had all night."

Billy rolled in Dom's embrace, his fingers twisting in Dom's hair as he kissed him slowly, softly, his urgency abated, but not his desire for the young man in his arms. His lips slid slowly over Dom's, tongue dipping between swollen lips, taking pleasure from the throaty moans he captured. Pulling back a little, Billy's heavy lidded green gaze met Dom's passion glazed eyes, and he smiled. He could feel Dom's need humming through his lithe body, limbs taut with a need Dom was only just learning how to assuage.

Trailing one hand down Dom's fabric covered back, Billy's small fingers plucked at the waistband of Dom's pajama pants before sliding his hands under the elastic to trail lower and cup Dom's firm buttocks, pulling him more firmly against his own body.

"As soon as I have bones in my legs again, I'm going to take you to bed, my Dom."

"Somebody took your bones away? Bastards!" Dom frowned, his hips undulating against Billy's.

Billy looked into Dom's face and smiled at the fierce concentration that creased his lover's forehead. Pressing a final kiss against Dom's lips, Billy slid from his arms and rolled to his feet. Pulling on the edges of his shirt front, Billy tugged it open, the press studs snicking loudly as he ripped them apart. Dropping his shirt to the floor atop the wildflowers, Billy gripped the buckle of his belt and with a sharp jerk, pulled it free of his beltloops and let it fall to the floor.

The clatter of the buckle hitting the wooden floor was barely heard as Billy bent and pulled his left boot from his foot, then repeated the action with the right. Kicking both boots aside, Billy pushed his jeans down his legs and stepped out of them. Clad in only his damp boxers, Billy extended both hands to Dom, who lay on the floor, watching him, his breathing ragged, smoky eyes almost black.

Billy's eyes had never left Dom's as he undressed, but Dom broke their visual connection as he rolled to his knees in front of Billy. Pressing a wet, open mouthed kiss against Billy's thigh, Dom's fingers found the top of one thick, woolen sock and pushed it down over Billy's ankle and off of his foot. Turning the attention of his licking, nipping kisses to Billy's other thigh, Dom pushed the other sock off, his long fingers caressing the top of Billy's foot as he looked up into Billy's eyes again.

Trembling hands sliding up the outside of Billy's legs, Dom's fingers gently tease and pluck at the curling hair, and as his hand moved up under the hem of Billy's boxers, Dom's lips pressed tiny kisses across the fabric. Knees buckling, Billy's fingers grabbed at Dom's shoulders for balance.

"Honey, stop. Please." Billy pressed his hands against Dom's and pulled them from his legs.

Lacing their fingers together, Billy gently tugged Dom to his feet. Backing Dom up against the door behind them, Billy nuzzled his face into the curve of Dom's neck and licked the sensitive flesh there, his hips thrusting slowly as he fitted himself between Dom's legs.

"Billy?" Dom murmured, his hands framing Billy's face as he leaned in to kiss his lover. As his entire body trembled with his need for Billy, their lips met and parted messily, open mouthed kisses trailing all over Billy's face. "Please…"

Billy's hands slide down Dom's sides, his fingers kneading Dom's buttocks through the thin cotton that covered them. Sliding even lower, Billy presses firmly into the backs of Dom's thighs, urging him to move, pulling at Dom's legs, his hot mouth sealed over Dom's until he pulled first one leg and then the other out from under Dom. With his back pressed against the door and thighs framing Billy's hips as he eagerly ground against Dom's erection, Dom broke away from Billy's kiss, breathlessy, and moaned helplessly against the sensations coursing through his body.

"Billy…." he whimpered.

"Its never been like this, has it, Honey?" Billy almost growled into Dom's ear, his hips grinding into Dom. With Dom's legs wrapped around him, the weight of Dom's thighs is comfortable on Billy's hips, even as Dom's heels pressed against his buttocks, pulling him closer, tighter. Whimpering moans tumble from Dom's lips as his hips stuttered against Billy's, his heavy, throbbing arousal rubbing rhythmically against Billy's renewed erection. "You've never wanted anyone so badly before that you can't think, can't breathe. That you crave the release that that one person can give you."

"Billy," Dom whimpered, his eyes glazed, one hand gripping Billy's shoulder, the other carding through Billy's hair. "Need…." he gasped. "So badly…..please."

"You can feel it, can't you, Dommie?" Billy murmured against his ear. "Your whole body like a tightly coiled spring." He licked from the collar of Dom's t-shirt to his earlobe, which he caught in his teeth and tugged. "You want to let go, don't you?" he growled.

"You want me to touch you, or to wrap your own hand around your lovely, thick cock, don't you?" Billy whispered hotly, his hips grinding and pushing, teasing both of them mercilessly as he spoke, licked and kissed.

"Billy," Dom wailed, his hips arching into Billy's.

Thrusting and grinding erratically, Dom's hands claw at Billy's bare back, begging, pleading words tumbling from his lips in a stream of constant, near gibberish. His own breath catching, Billy leaned in and nibbled at Dom's earlobe before speaking again, his voice guttural and husky, filled with his own longing for his young lover.

"You don't need any of that, Honey. Feel yourself between us, your sexy body pressed against my bare skin, your essence already smeared on my skin. You want to let go for me, don't you?"

"God….Billy!" Dom moaned wantonly as he ground into him. "I can't…." he whimpered, his hands roaming all over Billy's skin, nails scraping across Billy's back. "Please…."

"You can, Honey," Billy whispered, the fingers of one hand kneading Dom's buttocks, the other lifting to cup Dom's face and turn it to him. Looking into Dom's eyes, his thumb caressing Dom's perspiring cheekbone, Billy spoke, his words little more than a growling whisper. "Come for me, Dommie."

Dom's body tensed between Billy and the unyielding door, his heels drumming against Billy's buttocks as he relented. Orgasm surged through his lithe body, a damp patch spreading on the front of his pajamas, caught between their thrusting bodies. Arms and legs tightening around Billy, even his toes clenched as Dom struggled to hold onto the sensations coursing through him. Barely remembering to breathe as he tumbled back down from the high that Billy had pushed him to, Dom gasped for oxygen hungrily. His body finally relaxing, Dom molded himself to his lover, legs still wrapped around Billy's waist, his arms around Billy's neck.

"I never knew Bills," Dom whispered.

"Knew what, Honey?" Billy murmured against Dom's neck as he nuzzled the damp skin there.

"That it could be as good as that," Dom spoke in a low tone. "That I could feel so much."

"That's just the tip, Honey," Billy replied, brushing damp hair back from Dom's forehead. “It can be so much better than that."

"I think you're going to be the death of me," Dom said as he smiled into Billy's shoulder.

"I'll never hurt you, Dommie," Billy vowed seriously as he stood straighter, lifting Dom off the door before turning and walking through to Dom's bedroom.

[Chapter 18](http://community.livejournal.com/monaboyd/1634418.html)

  



	21. Western Lovers: Cowboys and Archaeologists 18/30

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Billy is a man to be reckoned with. Can Dom heal his wounded soul and his own into the bargain. Could Billy make him forget the bitter lessons of the past?

_**FIC:Western Lovers: Cowboys & Archaeologists (18/30)**_  
  


[](http://photobucket.com)

  
 **Title:** Western Lovers: Cowboys and Archaeologists 18/30  
 **Author:** [](http://sassywitch.livejournal.com/profile)[**sassywitch**](http://sassywitch.livejournal.com/)  
 **Pairing:** BB/DM with a smattering of VM/LT and DW/OB  
 **Rating:** NC-17, to be on the safe side.  
 **Summary:** Billy is a man to be reckoned with. Can Dom heal his wounded soul and his own into the bargain. Could Billy make him forget the bitter lessons of the past?  
 **Feedback:** Feedback is my writers crack, which is not to be confused at all with plumbers crack.  
 **Disclaimer:** Not at all true in reality. These men whilst adorable and perfectly happy to slash themselves, their actual relationship is something that they only know. This story is adapted from a series of books that I adored when I was younger written by Elizabeth Lowell.  
 **Word Count:** 3916  
 **Header Art:** Courtesy of the incredibly talented [](http://loki-girl.livejournal.com/profile)[**loki_girl**](http://loki-girl.livejournal.com/)  
 **Previous Chapters:** can be found [Here](http://www.livejournal.com/tools/memories.bml?user=sassywitch&keyword=Western+Lovers&filter=all)  
 **A/N:** A huge thank you to [](http://dylan-dufresne.livejournal.com/profile)[**dylan_dufresne**](http://dylan-dufresne.livejournal.com/) for the inspiration, the prodding and the beta. My grammar sucks so she had to suffer it so nobody else would. Next Chapter on Monday.

~*~*~*~

Billy savored Dom’s long limbs wrapped around him, as he carried him into the bedroom. His hands caressed the firm muscles rippling under Dom’s golden skin, marveling at the inner strength of his young lover. So innocent and vulnerable, Billy could see Dom’s mind wanting desperately to trust his heart, but not quite able to completely let go of his fears. Billy sighed against Dom’s neck, pressing a soft kiss on the golden skin there. Billy’s arms tightened as he let his knees press against the edge of Dom’s bed and lowered him to the cool sheets. Kneeling on the edge of the bed, between Dom’s thighs, Billy let one hand trail across Dom’s taut belly, wishing he could make Dom see himself the way he did. A delicate scarred soul wrapped in a beautiful body, and a deceptively strong core of steel enclosed in a deceptively delicate filigree exterior, that was just begging to be loved.

"I could have walked," Dom murmured as he pulled Billy into his long arms.

"No, you couldn't have." Billy rolled them so he could look into Dom's eyes as he spoke. "I would have missed having you wrapped around me like wet spaghetti." Billy leaned in to kiss the tip of Dom's nose. "I would've missed being able to hold you and keep you safe while you come back to your body." Letting his fingers dance across Dom's chest, Billy twisted his nipple gently. "Most of all, I would have missed this." He paused and licked his lips. "Feeling you all soft and languid beside me, like we're part of something bigger and older than we really know. I would have missed wrapping you in my arms and feeling your heart beat against mine."

Hot, salty tears welled in Dom's eyes. "Why didn't I know you before?" he whispered.

"Because," Billy leaned in to press his lips to the corner of Dom's mouth. "I'm the one who was meant to put you back together, Honey."

"I never knew I was in pieces before I met you," Dom murmured.

"You weren't really," Billy said, kissing Dom's eyelids as he spoke. "You just wouldn't see the beauty and sensuality that is so much a part of you."

"It isn't a part of me." Dom shook his head. "It never has been."

Shaking his head sadly, Billy slid off the bed and extended a hand to his young lover. "Come with me. I have something to show you."

Lacing his fingers with Billy's, Dom allowed himself to be led into the bathroom, and Billy tugged on Dom's hand until he stood facing the large mirror over the vanity unit. Standing behind Dom, Billy's naked body was so closely aligned with Dom's that he could feel the heat of Dom's skin along the length of his torso as he watched their reflections.

"What do you see, Honey?" Billy's fingers cupped Dom's chin, gently forcing him to look up.

"Me?" Dom whispered, his eyes closing, uncomfortable with the reflection he had seen.

"Ask me what I see, Dommie." Stepping forward, Billy closed the scant inch that separated them, his arms wrapping around Dom's waist, and he tilted his head until it rested on Dom's shoulder as he watched the mirror intently.

"I can't do this, Billy." Dom struggled against Billy's hold as he tried to turn in his arms and escape.

"You can, Honey." Billy's arms tightened around Dom. "Open your eyes, look in the mirror, and then ask me what I can see."

Dom's eyes were glistening when his long lashes fluttered open. "What can you see, Billy?" he stammered softly.

"I see skin with the color and warmth of sun warmed sandstone. The same sandstone that holds the secrets you love to uncover so much." Billy ran the back of his fingers across Dom's shoulder as he spoke, his eyes fixed on Dom's in the mirror.

"I see the real you, Dommie. The curve of your shoulder when you take off your shirt to work in the sun, you look like a gorgeous, sandstone sculpture. You're too beautiful to describe in words, Dommie. The very first time I saw you, the sun was shining off your beautiful hair, making it the color of honey, fresh from the hive. I knew how special you were even then, Honey." Billy's lips curved into a smile as he watched Dom's eyes flickering across their reflections.

"That's why you call me Honey, isn't it?" Dom whispered, realization dawning in his eyes.

Billy nodded, as he continued speaking. "There's that secret little smile you get when you're thinking, usually about something that only you know. Then there's the way that your beautiful, smoky blue eyes deepen to the color of storm clouds when I'm inside you, and you're desperately trying to hold on to the fraying edges of your control." Pausing thoughtfully, Billy pressed a soft kiss against Dom's shoulder,. "But your gorgeous body is not where your true beauty lies, Dom. Anybody who hasn't seen how truly beautiful you are, under the surface, then they've missed a glimpse of the heaven that is you."

Dom shook his head. "I'm not," he whispered.

"You are, you're beautiful, and sensitive, and passionate, and filled with such exquisite sensuality it's almost painful to see you hide it under too large clothes, and a sad, shy exterior. Dommie, love, when you talk about your work, and your beloved Anasazi, your whole being lights up. It's like your body contains all the sunshine in the world, and it's trying to break free. It's beautiful to watch Honey. You are beautiful to watch." Kissing the curve of Dom's neck, Billy pulled back again. "I wish I could take back every hurt you've ever had to endure, so everyone can see the beautiful light that you've blessed me with."

"There is no light, Billy." Dom turned in Billy's arms, wrapping himself around the older man as he moved. "Whatever you can see? It's a reflection of you."

"It's been there all the time, Honey. You just needed someone who knew how to….." Billy paused. "You just needed to learn it's in there, Dommie."

Dom shook his head. "It's all you," he whispered against Billy's lips. "I've never felt like this before." Dom paused to take a deep breath. "Never."

"You should've, Honey," Billy murmured against Dom's hair. "If I ever meet the people who did this to you, I'm not sure I wouldn't kill them with my bare hands." Vehement anger rippled through Billy as his thoughts turned to Dom's past and Billy shook his head abruptly, letting the anger fall away and allowing the intimacy to remain.

Dom was silent for a moment before he lifted his head to kiss Billy softly. "Come back to bed, Billy."

Walking into the bedroom, their fingers laced together, Dom pulled Billy onto the bed with him, his legs parted, and Billy fell into the space between them, like he was meant to be there.

"I wish you could see how you glow, Honey," Billy whispered as he kissed Dom softly.

"You're the only one I want to glow for," Dom whispered. "I was serious, Billy," he stammered. "I've never felt like I do with you before." He paused and swallowed tightly, a rosy blush climbing up his neck. "Even when I was on my own."

Billy frowned at Dom's words, not understanding what he was saying, until he saw the blush that had spread to the tips of Dom's ears.

"What do you mean? You don't" Billy paused in mid-sentence, looking into Dom's eyes, trying to decipher his own thoughts and Dom's words. "What did you do when you got aroused?"

"I didn't." Dom turned his head away, embarrassed, first by his confession and by the fact that Billy was watching him so intently. "Sometimes I'd wake up and it'd just……just be there." Dom sighed, burying his face in his pillow so deeply that his words were muffled. "I'd take a cold shower and pray for it to go away. I just wanted it to go away."

"Honey," Billy murmured softly, cupping Dom's face and turning his glowing, red cheeks back to face him. "You don't need to be ashamed of being aroused," Billy whispered, pressing a soft kiss to the tip of Dom's nose, and then trailing his mouth across Dom's lips. "Why me?"

"Why you?" Dom frowned.

"Why did you choose me to trust with your beautiful body? Your sweet fragile soul?" Billy asked quietly, his fingers playing with Dom's soft, tousled hair, his eyes searching Dom's face.

"You're not like other men, Billy." Dom shrugged, frowning as he tried to explain himself. "You're strong, and can be brutal, but you are also so gentle and tender, and you understand, you can see things that no one else has ever seen. You saw a me I didn't even know existed."

"There's so much I haven't done. You're the first person I've willingly been….been intimate with."

"Then we'll do our best to forget what came before, and you can be my sweet, virgin lover," Billy whispered, pressing his lips against Dom's. "We're learning together," he promised.

"Even if I do something that disappoints you?" Dom looked deep into Billy's eyes, his brow furrowed.

"Nothing ever will, but yes. Even if you do," Billy answered earnestly. "Now, didn't someone want to tie me to their bed?" He grinned, voice lowering to a seductive rasp.

"Are you sure?" Dom asked, his voice little more than a whisper.

"Honey, you could paint me with chocolate, then lick me clean, and I wouldn't complain." Billy smiled seductively. "In fact, I think that should go on our to do list." Brushing Dom's hair back from his forehead gently, Billy whispered, "But yes, I'm sure. I trust you."

Rolling deeper into Billy's embrace, Dom lay quietly, his head on Billy's shoulder, his earnest, blue-gray eyes watching Billy's face intently as his long, elegant fingers reached out to trace across Billy's face, dancing across his skin slowly as they remembered the contours of they found.

Dom's fingers, having drunk their fill of Billy's face, moved to card through soft, ginger hair, his fingertips massaging Billy's scalp. Leaning forward and pressing his lips against Billy's forehead, Dom trailed the first of dozens of gentle, open-mouthed kisses that didn't demand or deliver anything, except the level of Dom's overwhelming comfort in Billy's embrace.

Pulling out of Billy's embrace, Dom lifted one of his lover's small hands to his mouth, and pressed the palm to his lips. Kissing the skin there wetly, Dom licked from Billy's palm to the pulse point in his wrist, and hearing a strangled moan, he turned to look into Billy's heavy lidded gaze.  
"Are you alright? Did I do wrong?" As he spoke, Dom lifted a hand to cup Billy's flushed face.

"Wrong?" Billy caressed Dom's face with his free hand. "Damn, Honey, any righter and I think you'll kill me."

"You liked that?" Dom grinned as he lowered his head, trailing his tongue from Billy's wrist to his elbow, and swirling it all over Billy's bicep in a flowery, dancing trail to Billy's shoulder. Lifting Billy's arm over his head, Dom slipped a loop of satiny material around Billy's wrist and pulled it taut. "I've been thinking about doing this." Dom paused, blushing. "A lot."

"How much?" Billy asked his voice little more than a growl as Dom straddled him, lifting Billy's free hand to his mouth. "Did thinking about it make you hard?"

Dom blushed furiously, nodding his head as he kissed and licked his way down Billy's hand and arm.

"How hard?" Billy almost whimpered. "Did you touch yourself?"

Dom's teeth nipped and his tongue licked back to Billy's shoulder, and he nodded his head in affirmation, lifting Billy's free arm over his head he secured it with the another loop of satin.

"You touched yourself while you thought about doing this, didn't you?" Billy growled.

Nodding again, Dom's blush rose to the tips of his ears.

"You made yourself come, didn't you?" Billy groaned as he arched his hips, his erection rubbing against the cleft of Dom's ass.

Nodding quickly, Dom slid his lips across Billy's, plastering his body along his lover's. Fitted together from thigh to mouth, Dom ground himself against Billy as they kissed, and when Billy let his legs fall apart, Dom fell into the space between them, grinding his renewed arousal against Billy.

"Tell me, Dommie?" Billy murmured, pulling his mouth away from Dom's. "Please?"

Dom shook his head, nipping at Billy's throat gently, his hands gliding up and down Billy's body.

"Please, Honey?" Billy begged. "Tell me how good your hand felt wrapped around yourself. Tell me what you were thinking about?" Billy's voice lowered until it was no more than desperate, guttural mumblings. "Please, Dom. Tell me. I need to know. I want to know why just thinking of me….us, made you need to do something so incredibly sexy." Billy paused, struggling to push his hips up, needing friction against his aching arousal. "Please?"

Dom's blushing face tilted up so he could look into Billy's eyes before he sat up, his weight resting lightly on Billy's thighs, his fingertips trailing across Billy's furry belly.  
"When we're not at Arwen Canyon." Dom started, his long tongue darting out to wet suddenly dry lips. "I have trouble sleeping. I can't help but think about what we do….us…you." he fell silent, his eyes squeezing shut. "I can't do this Billy."

"Dommie." Billy murmured softly, "Look at me, Honey." He silently begged. "Please Honey, it's just you and me, you don't need to be embarrassed or ashamed. It's just us." Billy flexed his legs, and bent his knees, pressing Dom tighter against his own arousal. "The thought of you thinking of me, and needing to touch yourself Honey," Billy whispered, his voice ending on a groan as Dom's hand closed around his arousal. "Feel what it does to me, Dommie, please tell me?"

"I slept alone and shunned human touch for so long." Dom spoke, his gaze fixed on his hand as it gently, slowly stroked Billy's aching hardness. "Four days with you and I can't sleep properly without the warmth of your arms around me. I can’t sleep, not without thoughts of you filling my dreams, to the point I wake, my body aching for you, my fingers already wrapped around myself." Dom whispered, never lifting his eyes. "I can't think about you and not want to be with you." Dom’s fingers tightened on Billy's erection as his thumb brushed over the leaking tip.

Billy struggled to stop his hips from lifting into Dom's touch. Struggling to find the strength within himself, not to lose himself in the breath stealing touch of Dom's fingers. Fingers that clasped like a loving glove around his hardness. Billy’s teeth worried his bottom lip, while he tried desperately not to let the hungry whimpers escape.

"One night when I couldn't sleep I spent hours and hours surfing the internet, trying to find ways to please you. I stumbled across a website that…well…it." Dom paused, shaking his head slowly. "After that night, all I could think about was having you in my bed, your arms stretched out above your head, my fingers tracing your skin while you were buried deep inside me. I would kneel here just like this, as if you were under me and stroke myself like this." His grip on Billy's cock tightened, his wrist twisting as he stroked Billy's hardness. "It always feels so good." He whimpered as he stroked Billy.

"Honey you keep that up, and I won't be good for anything." Billy whimpered.

Dom released his hold on Billy, and slid along his body leaning forward to kiss him wetly. "You'll always be good for me Billy." He whispered.

Climbing off of Billy, Dom stood and pulled his tee-shirt off, then pushing his pajama bottoms down and stepped out of them. Lifting a bottle of lube from the bedside table, Dom squeezed some into his palm, before he moved to straddle Billy's broad chest. Slicking his fingers with the lube, he grasped the top of the headboard with one hand and with the other reached behind himself, preparing himself for his lover.

Billy lay underneath Dom as he watched him, trying to hold onto what little control he still had, until Dom straddled his chest and Billy watched his long elegant fingers stretching and preparing himself. As Dom's hips stuttered forward Billy lifted his head and closed his rosebud lips around the head of Dom's engorged cock. Sucking hard, his tongue flicking and licking, he watched Dom throw his head back, a long keening wail leaving his lips.

Dom's hips canted forward, unconsciously pushing himself deeper into Billy's mouth, even as his fingers pushed deeper into his own body, stretching and preparing himself as quickly as he could. His whole body was thrumming with tension, each flick of Billy's tongue, each suck of his lips drawing the bowstring of his control tighter.

Releasing his hold on the headboard, Dom reached down to trail his fingers through Billy's hair, his palm coming to rest on Billy's cheek, thumb trailing across Billy's cheekbone. His other hand, fingers slick with lube, moved to close around Billy's erection. Sliding wetly along his arousal, a satisfied smile curved Dom's lips and Billy's hips arched up into his touch, the movement pushing him deeper into Billy's mouth.

Drawing a deep breath, Dom released his hold and moved back along Billy's body. His knees framing Billy's waist he closed his long fingers around Billy's erection, stroking him for long moments, his eyes never leaving Billy's before he positioned himself. Sliding slowly down onto Billy's length, he held his breath, desperately trying to absorb the sensations flowing over him. Burning, stretching sensation quickly erased by a tight full satisfaction.

His hips beginning to shift, a long, slow lifting and lowering, the movement making both of them gasp with longing and desperation. His fingers trailed along Billy's perspiration slick skin, across his ribs, his fingertips finding and twisting gently the small flat nipples he found.

"Honey?" Billy moaned, his hips arching up to meet Dom's downward thrusts.

Dom pressed forward, resting his weight on his hands, sliding his lips wetly against Billy's, his tongue plunging into Billy's mouth, desperately tasting him. Dom’s hips rocked forward, pulling almost completely off Billy's slick arousal and slamming back down again. Over and over, he devoured Billy's mouth, as their lower bodies slammed together.

Panting, his body arching up to meet Dom's he pulled his lips from Dom's carnivorous mouth.

"Honey. Please…." Billy groaned as Dom's hips began to rotate even while he plunged into his tight body. "Listen….please."

Dom shook his head "Don't. Talk." he licked the side of Billy's face "Just. Feel." Each word punctuated by a twisting thrust of Dom's hips.

"Want to watch." He gasped. "Need to."

"What?" Dom paused, resting his weight on his hands and looking into Billy's eyes, his chest heaving with exertion, his eyes dark with passion, perspiration trickling down his face, his head shaking gently.

Billy's hands gripped the soft satin that bound him to the bed, and pulled himself up high enough to press his lips to Dom's sweat soaked chest. Tasting Dom's salty skin, his tongue licking a long line through the beads of perspiration that gather on the centre of Dom's chest.

"Please Honey." He murmured his knees flexing just enough to push himself deeper inside his sweet shy lover. "Please Dommie, let me watch you."

Dom was still for what seemed an eternity, his breathing slowing, his damp hair hanging over his eyes in such an incredibly seductive way that it brought a lump to Billy's throat. Billy watched the struggle in Dom's eyes, habits and thoughts, so long held by the younger man, fought with his desire to please and be pleased, until finally, Dom's head lifted slowly, one single nod from his head his only response.

Arching his back, pulling Billy deeper inside him, squeezing him tighter, Dom throws his head back, his long slender throat exposed as he rides his lover slowly. Both hands slid the length of Billy's torso and caressed along his tautly outstretched arms, fingers lacing with Billy's for the instant it took for Dom to arch his body forward and press a hard, wet kiss to Billy's lips. As Dom straightened, one long arm moved to grip the rails at the head of the bed tightly, the other slid, fingers splayed across his chest and belly before closing around his heated throbbing length.

"Do you know…." Billy gasped, as he struggled to thrust up into Dom's body. "How fucking sexy you are?"

"Not. Sexy," Dom spoke, his words punctuated by a sharp, grinding, downward thrust, his fingers sliding slickly along his aching arousal.

"Too. Sexy," Billy almost grunted as he struggled to maintain control. "Need you….all the time."

"Yours," Dom murmured, his speed increasing, knees tightening on Billy's waist as he tried to maintain their rhythm.

"Not mine," Billy groaned. "Free. You. Should. Be." His voice broke into guttural whimpers as Dom moved faster, each thrusting movement stealing Billy's breath and his thoughts.

"Yours," Dom repeated his voice breathless. "Always."

"Fuck, Dommie," Billy growled "Too. Much." His breath and words left him in short staccato bursts. "Need…..Come for me." Eyes opening, Billy found Dom's stormy blue gaze. "Come for me, Honey."

Dom's passion clouded eyes watched Billy as he rode him, his hand sliding along his own arousal hungrily, thumb brushing over his leaking tip with every frantic stroke. Hips thrusting up into his tight grip and slamming back down onto Billy, Dom whimpers with every movement.

"Let go, Honey," Billy growls under him, back arching, hips thrusting, arms straining against the satin binding him.

The guttural, accented pleading from Billy was the last straw in breaking Dom's control. One. Two. Three stuttering, jerking strokes of his tight fist along his pulsing erection and his fluids spurted hotly over his fingers, splashing onto Billy's belly. The tightening of Dom's body around Billy was all it took for the cowboy to lose his own control. As Dom's body milked his orgasm from him, Billy arched tautly under Dom.

Breath rasping as he struggled to regain control of his body, Dom toppled forward as Billy found his release, fitting his sweat slick body along Billy's, head pushed into the curve of Billy's neck and his knees tucked along Billy's side, keeping his lover inside his body for as long as he could.

As soon as Billy could think coherently, he slipped his hands from the loops of satin and moved them to stroke up and down Dom's perspiration slippery back, silently trying to calm the heart that raced against his own.

"You could get free?" Dom asked, his lips moving against Billy's neck.

"Easily," Billy replied, grinning against Dom's head.

"Why didn't you?" Dom questioned, and lifted his head to look into Billy's eyes.

"Because you needed me like that," Billy whispered, leaning in to kiss Dom wetly. "I needed to give that to you, Honey."

"I love you, Billy," Dom stated as he let his head drop back onto Billy's shoulder, his long arms tucked around Billy's waist.

"I know," Billy murmured, kissing the damp blonde hair gently. "I know. Sleep now, Honey."

Billy curled his arms around Dom's waist and let his head fall back against the pillow, sleep already claiming him.

[Chapter 19](http://community.livejournal.com/monaboyd/1634981.html)

  



	22. Western Lovers: Cowboys and Archaeologists 19/30

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Billy is a man to be reckoned with. Can Dom heal his wounded soul and his own into the bargain. Could Billy make him forget the bitter lessons of the past?

_**FIC: Western Lovers:Cowboys & Archaeologists (19/30)**_  
  


[](http://photobucket.com)

  
 **Title:** Western Lovers: Cowboys and Archaeologists 19/30  
 **Author:** [](http://sassywitch.livejournal.com/profile)[**sassywitch**](http://sassywitch.livejournal.com/)  
 **Pairing:** BB/DM with a smattering of VM/LT and DW/OB  
 **Rating:** NC-17, to be on the safe side.  
 **Summary:** Billy is a man to be reckoned with. Can Dom heal his wounded soul and his own into the bargain. Could Billy make him forget the bitter lessons of the past?  
 **Feedback:** Feedback is my writers crack, which is not to be confused at all with plumbers crack.  
 **Disclaimer:** Not at all true in reality. These men whilst adorable and perfectly happy to slash themselves, their actual relationship is something that they only know. This story is adapted from a series of books that I adored when I was younger written by Elizabeth Lowell.  
 **Word Count:** 2393 **Header Art:** Courtesy of the incredibly talented [](http://loki-girl.livejournal.com/profile)[**loki_girl**](http://loki-girl.livejournal.com/)  
 **Previous Chapters:** can be found [Here](http://www.livejournal.com/tools/memories.bml?user=sassywitch&keyword=Western+Lovers&filter=all)  
 **A/N:** A huge thank you to [](http://dylan-dufresne.livejournal.com/profile)[**dylan_dufresne**](http://dylan-dufresne.livejournal.com/) for the inspiration, the prodding and the beta. My grammar sucks so she had to suffer it so nobody else would. Yes, yes i know. This chapter is early but there's a 95% chance that I won't be here for the next two days and i didn't want to deprive any of you who may be waiting for this of a chapter. Next chapter will be posted on Monday.

~*~*~*~

Billy woke slowly, disoriented by the comfortable weight across his chest, and his brow furrowed as he shuffled his way through the misty haze of contented sleep. His eyes snapped open as he remembered the events of the previous night, and after turning his head not even a fraction of an inch, Billy's lips curled into a satisfied grin.

Dom lay sprawled on his belly beside him, arm slung across Billy's bare chest, a leg wrapped around Billy's thigh, trapping him while his other hand was tucked under the one pillow they'd shared. Tousled blonde hair tumbling over his forehead, face turned towards Billy, Dom's warm breath wuffled against Billy's neck. Studying his young lover as he slept, Dom's beauty took Billy's breath away. While Dom shouldn't be considered beautiful, with his quaintly crooked mouth, his funny nose and big ears, once you saw his smile or looked into his eyes or watched his elegant hands curling around potshards, or even cradling that big old cat, you could see it. Dom's soul was so exquisitely beautiful that it shone from him so brightly that sometimes just looking at him could make you smile, and Billy was grateful for being able to spend even a day in his company.

Billy didn't want to think about the way that his heart swelled when he had realized that Dom had wrapped himself around Billy, even as they slept, just like he really didn't want to think about the ache that was already growing in his heart as the end of the summer grew nearer. Reaching over to brush back the hair from Dom's face, Billy's thumb traced his cheekbones lingeringly, sliding across his eyelids and smoothing the gentle frown from Dom's forehead.

He would never forget this summer, and cherish the memories for the rest of his life. To have been part of the privilege of coaxing the quixotic butterfly that was his Honey from his cocoon, and be a part of showing him the joys of making love, was something that Billy was sure he was not worthy of, but that hadn't stopped him from falling for Dom. He had known, however, right from the start, that this was a summer affair. No matter how much it hurt, Billy had to set Dom free, because Dom deserved so much more than Billy could give him. He was just beaten-up, broken down, battle-scarred old cowboy with more emotional baggage than the Titanic had passengers. Dom deserved more, he deserved so much better. Now that he had found the self that he had hidden for so many years, Billy wanted Dom to fly free, and share his beauty with someone who was perfect for him. Someone who shared his gentle, loving soul.

Seeing the first rays of pink sun lightening the deep cobalt of the night sky, Billy carefully shrugged out from under Dom's leg. Rolling towards his young lover, Billy pressed a wet, open mouthed kiss to Dom's sleeping mouth.

"Honey, I need to go," he whispered against warm lips.

"Nooo," Dom mumbled. "Stay. Don't wanna…." he muttered, his voice trailing off as he drifted back to sleep.

"I won't let the hands see me leaving here after sun up," Billy replied, kissing him again.

"Don't care," Dom mumbled "Stay."

"I care, Dommie." Billy kissed him slowly, his tongue trailing across Dom's pouty lips. "You're better than the innuendo you'd get from the gossip."

" 'M not," Dom mumbled. "Love you….please…stay." Dom's arm tightened as he rolled towards Billy.

Billy's heart clenched at Dom's words, his eyes closing as he listened, then tried to pull out from Dom's embrace.

"You need to let me go, Honey."

"Can't," Dom almost growled, fitting his body along Billy's side, as he ground his pelvis against Billy's hip, the much wanted friction to his morning erection bringing a blissful sigh to his lips.

"God, Dommie," Billy moaned. "You're making it so hard to do the right thing."

"Hope so," Dom muttered. "Don't want to be the only hard one." He opened his sleepy eyes to look into Billy's face as his long arm snaked down Billy's body.

"We don't have time, Dommie," Billy murmured, his hand finding Dom's arousal and fisting it slowly.

"Make time," Dom whimpered, arching his hips. "Need you…..Please?"

Billy rolled Dom onto his back, settling into the space between Dom's legs, his elbows bearing the weight of his upper body, fingers twisting in Dom's mussed hair as he looked into the younger man's face.

"How could I refuse such an offer?" Billy murmured.

"You can't, can you?" Dom grinned, his hands sliding down Billy's side, fingertips dancing across Billy's skin.

"Not to you," Billy spoke seriously "I can't say no to you."

"I don't want you to," Dom whispered, pulling Billy closer against his body with hands, feet and mouth.

"Good." Billy leaned in to kiss him wetly, their mouths not quite meeting. "I don't want to either."

Billy trailed hungry, wet, open mouthed kisses down Dom's long neck and across his chest. Pointy tongue flicking out to lathe at one hard, flat nipple, Billy turned his head up to look into Dom's face before he grinned almost cheekily as Dom sighed. "You like that, do you?"

"Mmmm." Dom nodded his eyes closed, his fingers tracing Billy's shoulders.

"Then Honey..." Billy murmured, "You're going to love this."

Billy turned his attention to Dom's other nipple, then swirled his tongue in a long slow path along Dom's golden belly, flicking across the pale, light tracing of hair that gradually thickened as it traveled lower. Small hands deftly caught Dom's angular hips, and Billy pressed him back down onto the mattress as they attempted to arch up into his touch.

"Billy," Dom moaned as his leaking arousal brushed against Billy's cheek.

With his hands holding and caressing Dom's hips, Billy turned his attention to Dom's hair covered thighs. Stinging, nipping kisses, long, slow licks, and suckling bites that would leave soft purpled marks, all drove Dom to distraction. Struggling with the limits of his control, Dom's head tossed on the pillow, his hands gripping fistfuls of sheet.

"Touch me," he moaned, over and over, a mantra meant to assuage the burning need in his veins.

Looking up into his lover's face, seeing his passion glazed eyes, the perspiration beading his skin, Billy's own arousal pressed urgently against the mattress, his hips undulating of their own accord. Tongue traveling a wet path to the heavy sac at the juncture of Dom's thighs, the tip of Billy's tongue brushed feather light beneath it as he tested the weight with his tongue. Sucking the sensitive flesh into his mouth, Billy swirled his tongue all over and around before gently releasing him.

Opening his legs further, unable to stop the desperate moans that tumbled from his lips at the feel of himself sucked tightly into Billy's mouth, Dom's weeping erection ached to be taken deeply into the tight, sucking cavern, but he was reluctant to give up the exquisite, bone melting pleasure that Billy's mouth was currently giving him.

As Dom's legs fell open in wanton invitation, Billy's lips reluctantly released their hold. Tongue sliding lower, Billy brushed across the sensitive skin that he discovered, and sent a shiver through Dom's body. Traveling lower still, sliding along the globes of Dom's buttocks, Billy licked and sucked the pale, soft skin before flicking the tip of his tongue against Dom's entrance, swirling it there, back and forth, over and over, as Dom arched up off the mattress, a long, low moan filling the room. Pressing against the tight muscle, Billy let his tongue slip just inside Dom, licking and sucking and tasting, then pulling back slowly. His hands struggling to hold the thrashing, begging body of his lover against the mattress, Billy's fingers soothed at the soft skin that he held so tightly.

"Please. Please," Dom almost sobbed "Please. I. Need. You."

"You've got me, Honey," Billy murmured, pressing soft kisses along Dom's inner thigh. "But not like that, not this morning. This is for you."

"Please, Billy," Dom whimpered, as Billy pressed a soft kiss on the underside of Dom's throbbing arousal. "Please…" He arched into Billy' caress,desperate for more.

Dom's white knuckled grip on the sheet loosened long enough for his fingers to tangle in Billy's hair, urging him on with more than just his breathless whimpers.

Billy's tongue traced the thick vein to the tip of Dom's arousal, and then lifting his eyes to look into Dom's passionate, unfocussed gaze, he released one of Dom's hips to lace his fingers through Dom's as he closed his mouth over Dom's leaking tip.

Hips arched, Dom pushed himself deeper into Billy's mouth, unintelligible words tumbling from his lips, and fingernails biting into the back of Billy's hand. Knees locked, Dom pressed his feet against the mattress, desperately thrusting up into the sweet, hot suction of Billy's mouth. With each slurping gulp, Billy consumed a little more of Dom's swollen, slick length, swallowing the salty fluid that slicked Dom's hardness. The blunt end of Dom's arousal nudged against the back of Billy's mouth, and closing his eyes for the briefest of moments, Billy concentrated on relaxing his throat, so Dom could slip deeper inside. Swallowing convulsively, struggling to maintain his relaxed control as he watched Dom's face, Billy was completely unaware of the effect the tight constriction his reflexive swallowing was having on Dom.

Within seconds, Dom's feet had left the bed, his thighs wrapping around Billy's head, fingernails piercing the skin of Billy's hand as he found his release, deep in Billy's throat. Dom's orgasm triggered Billy's own a moment later, against the sheets that his body ground into. Holding his young lover in his mouth as his erection slowly subsided, Billy gently licked Dom clean before crawling back up his languid body and kissing him wetly, letting Dom taste himself, then brushing Dom's damp hair from his forehead and hugging him tenderly.

"Sleep, Honey," he murmured. "It's a while until breakfast."

"Mmm," Dom mumbled as he sank back into the depths of a deep, dreamless sleep.

Billy lay beside Dom on the bed for long minutes, content to sit and watch his chest rise and fall as he slept peacefully. Letting his fingers trail featherlight across Dom's bare skin, Billy then leaned in and pressed a gentle kiss to Dom's forehead and slipped off of the bed before he gave in to the temptation to crawl under Dom's arm and curl into his side.

Moving quickly through the house, collecting his clothes and slipping into them, a grin turned up the corners of Billy's mouth as he remembered how his clothes came to be scattered all over the floor. Jeans tugged over his hips and half fastened, his shirt on but unbuttoned, with his belt over his shoulder, Billy knelt just inside the door and collected the scattered, crushed and wilted wildflowers he found there. Walking silently through to the kitchen, Billy quickly filled a glass with water and sat the sad posy in the glass. Pausing at the door long enough to collect his boots and his hat, Billy let himself out just in time to see the fiery ball of the sun start to emerge from behind the horizon in earnest. Casting a quick glance around, he breathed a sigh of relief when there was no sign of any of the ranch hands.

Starting to move quickly up the path towards the main house, a voice startled him.

"Thought you weren't doing the relationship thing?" David said in a quiet tone. "Doesn't that forestall sleep overs."

"Fuck off, David. YOU don't do relationships. You wouldn't understand," Billy answered quickly.

"Nope, but it doesn't mean I can't enjoy your misery." David smiled.

"Bastard," Billy retorted with a smile. "You're shit out of luck, anyway. There is no misery."

"Give it time. There's always misery."

"Not with this one. Dom's different."

"They never are. He'll be the same in the end."

"He is different." Billy insisted and looked at his half brother as they walked side by side. "He's…. Dom's…. He's just different."

"Goddammit, Billy," David swore softly, stopping to look at his brother. "You're in love with him, aren't you?"

"And what if I am?" Billy pulled himself up to his full height, waiting for an argument.

"Do you remember what happened last time?" David asked quietly. "Do you not remember why you left your beloved Scotland? Do you not remember how we could barely find the pieces of you to put back together? I won't let this one do that to you."

"I'll hurt this one long before he'll hurt me." Eyes darkening, Billy let his shoulders drop. "This one's a keeper."

"Have you told him you're not?" David asked, quirking one eyebrow as he pushed his hat back on his head, watching his older brother carefully.

Billy shook his head. "It's just a summer thing."

"Thing?" David murmured. "For fucks sake, Billy, you're just setting yourself up to cut yourself down, aren't you?"

"I know what I'm doing," Billy said, then sighed.

"Sounds like it, dipshit." David looked towards the bunkhouse at the sound of a slamming door. "You might like to look a little less like you've been riding your boyfriend all night." David grinned. "A nice start might be to put it away." He gestured to Billy's half open button fly. "Or even button your shirt properly." He snickered, then leaned in and sniffed at the side of Billy's neck "Though I think it might help if you didn't smell like hot sex."

Billy looked down at his crookedly buttoned shirt , half fastened pants and bare feet, and realized that he smelled richly of Dom.

"Goddammit," Billy growled. "I'll be out shortly. Keep 'em in line until I get back. Voices carry, Daisy, and I don't want them waking Honey up yet."

"Honey?" David lifted one brow with a sardonic grin "It's hardly my job to keep the men in line so your boyfriend can sleep just because you rode him into the mattress all night."

"Actually," Billy grinned as he moved past his brother and opened the kitchen door, "He did all the riding."

"Jesus, Billy." David pressed his hands over his ears. "Too much information. Just go shower, and I'll keep em busy."

[Chapter 20](http://community.livejournal.com/monaboyd/1636638.html)

  



	23. Western Lovers: Cowboys and Archaeologists 20/30

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Billy is a man to be reckoned with. Can Dom heal his wounded soul and his own into the bargain. Could Billy make him forget the bitter lessons of the past?

_**FIC: Western Lovers: Cowboys & Archaeologists 20/30**_  
  


[](http://photobucket.com)

  
 **Title:** Western Lovers: Cowboys and Archaeologists 20/30  
 **Author:** [](http://sassywitch.livejournal.com/profile)[**sassywitch**](http://sassywitch.livejournal.com/)  
 **Pairing:** BB/DM with a smattering of VM/LT and DW/OB  
 **Rating:** NC-17, to be on the safe side.  
 **Summary:** Billy is a man to be reckoned with. Can Dom heal his wounded soul and his own into the bargain. Could Billy make him forget the bitter lessons of the past?  
 **Feedback:** Feedback is my writers crack, which is not to be confused at all with plumbers crack.  
 **Disclaimer:** Not at all true in reality. These men whilst adorable and perfectly happy to slash themselves, their actual relationship is something that they only know. This story is adapted from a series of books that I adored when I was younger written by Elizabeth Lowell.  
 **Word Count:** 6230  
 **Header Art:** Courtesy of the incredibly talented [](http://loki-girl.livejournal.com/profile)[**loki_girl**](http://loki-girl.livejournal.com/)  
 **Previous Chapters:** can be found [Here](http://www.livejournal.com/tools/memories.bml?user=sassywitch&keyword=Western+Lovers&filter=all)  
 **A/N:** A huge thank you to [](http://dylan-dufresne.livejournal.com/profile)[**dylan_dufresne**](http://dylan-dufresne.livejournal.com/) for the inspiration, the prodding and the beta. My grammar sucks really, really badly so she had to suffer it so nobody else would. Yes, yes i know. This is a couple of hours early, but my connection has been spotty today so I'm going to give up now and go to bed, ergo, this is just a little early.

~*~*~*~

Dom woke gradually, his movements slow and languid as he stretched one long arm out to reach for his lover. Coming up empty, he sighed sadly, and rolled onto his back. His body was pleasantly sore and achy, but he wouldn't have it any other way. Stretching lithely, Dom pressed his face deep into the pillow, inhaling Billy's residual scent deeply before he flicked back the sheet and dragged himself out of bed.

Moving through to his bathroom Dom turned on the steaming water and when he was satisfied with the temperature, stepped under the pulsing jets. Washing his hair quickly and lathering his body with his apple scented shower gel, Dom washed, rinsed and then stepped out of the shower, briefly regretting the loss of Billy's scent from his skin.

Slipping into a pair of low slung jeans, Dom then opened his closet door and selected a royal blue t-shirt. Reaching for one of the thin cotton sweaters he habitually wore, Dom's hand lingered before he let out a slow breath, and left the sweater there. Slipping his feet into his trainers, Dom grabbed the white straw cowboy hat he had taken to wearing, and stepped outside.

Wandering up the path to the main house, Dom could barely wipe the smile from his face, and even as he entered the dining room through the side door, a room filled with large strong ranch hands, Dom didn't feel his normal, stomach turning discomfort. Removing his hat as he drew near the table, Dom turned soft eyes on Billy, knowing that he was the real reason for his apparent calm. He trusted Billy to keep him safe, and he trusted Billy to know when it was all too much for him. Billy just knew, Dom didn't know how, he didn't know why, but Billy understood, and Billy knew when Dom needed saving, when he needed distance, and most of all, when he needed loving.

"Archaeology agrees with you, Dom." Liv spoke softly as Dom sank into the chair that Billy had pushed out for him.

"Why?" Dom frowned, looking up at Liv.

"You're positively glowing," she said, smiling at her friend.

Dom looked sharply at David as he appeared to choke on a mouthful of his juice, then back at Liv.

"Must be all the sunshine instead of lecture halls.” Billy offered without looking up.

"Must be," Liv agreed, her eyes passing from Billy to David and back to Dom again, eyes narrowing as she watched Billy pour juice for Dom.

Dom reached across the table and snagged two pieces of toast off the large platter, then looked up at Liv. "It's much nicer being here then back in the classroom." He dropped one slice of toast on his own plate and handed the other to Billy. "I'd forgotten how much I loved camping out on a site."

"Apparently," Liv replied, and passed a large platter of scrambled eggs to Dom. "It's good to see you so happy."

"We've found some remarkably intact pots and shards," Dom said, as he scooped some eggs onto his plate and then some onto Billy's, all while Billy was putting rashers of well cooked bacon on his own plate and then an equal portion on Dom's plate.

When Billy reached across the table to lift the platter of fried tomatoes, he met Liv's measuring gaze.

"What?" he asked with a shrug.

"Nothing," Liv spoke sweetly, a smile creasing her face. "Not a thing." She lifted the platter of mushrooms and passed it to Dom.

"I think we need to keep you two here more," Viggo stated. "Liv would like me to be as domesticated as that."

"As what?" Billy tilted his head.

"You two." He nodded to their breakfast plates. "Are you even aware of what you just did?"

"We spend a lot of meals together out at Arwen Canyon," Billy explained, a light blush climbing up his cheeks.

"Apparently," Liv said dryly.

"Well oiled machine." Viggo nodded. "I can see that."

"Well oiled," David added. "Mum'd be proud Billy."

"Daisy…." Billy growled. "Shut up."

"She could never quite domesticate any of us." Daisy ignored his brother. "But she'd like this picture." He looked straight at Billy, nodding sagely as he spoke.

"Shut up, you silly git," Billy chuckled as he lifted his fork. "Can I eat now? Or do y'all have something else you need to observe?"

"Nah, I think we're done," David replied, grinning around a mouthful of food. "Unless you feed each other, too."

Billy's glare was all the answer David needed to cease his conversation.

Dom sat quietly listening to the comfortable banter, more glad than he could say that Billy had intercepted on their behalf. Breakfast passed quickly after that. Food was devoured, and well fed ranch hands left their kitchen ware in the sink before moving to take care of their duties for the day. David left to saddle a horse and take a look at some of the fences along the edge of the mesa, while Liv and Viggo lingered over coffee until Dom left to sort potshards and Billy went to check on a horse that was foaling.

"I want you to talk to Billy," Liv stated as soon as they were both out of earshot.

"What?" Viggo asked.

"They're sleeping together." She waggled a finger at Dom and Billy's empty chairs.

"They're what?" Viggo spluttered. "How exactly did you reach that conclusion, dear?"

"Its obvious, darling."

"Obvious to everyone?" Viggo asked calmly. "Or just to you?"

"Did you just have breakfast with the same couple I did?" she asked, and then frowned.

"I'm almost certain I did, my love."

"Then I need, no, you need to find out if Billy’s intentions are honorable."

"If his what, are what now?"

"You heard me," Liv glowered at him.

"Darling, I know we're a ways from civilization, but this isn't the wild west. I'm not Dom's shotgun wielding daddy."

"Maybe you should be." Liv shrugged. "Maybe all he needs is for someone to look out for him."

"They're both big boys, Liv," Viggo spoke quietly. "They can both look after themselves, and each other apparently."

"Tell me you can't see the difference in Dom," Liv answered. "And for Christ's sake, it's not the bloody camping. He's in love. In love with Billy. And unless I missed my guess and misread that blush, Billy loves him back." She paused to sigh. "You don't want to see the fragile Dom you first met come back, do you?"

"Of course I don't," Viggo said. "I just don't think we should interfere."

"It's not interfering," Liv protested. "It's merely looking out for our friends."

"It's interfering," Viggo asserted.

"No, it's not." Liv shrugged. "It's maintaining domestic harmony."

"Alright, alright. When I think the time is right, I'll talk to him," Viggo relented, sighing in exasperation.

"Today," Liv instructed with a firm nod. "Or you'll keep putting it off until it's too late."

"Yes, dear," Viggo parroted as Liv collected the remainder of the dishes and bent down to press a kiss against her husband's lips.

"I love you, my big romantic man."

~*~*~*~*~

Dom sat at the long table, quietly sorting pot shards, listening to the radio that was tuned to a local country station, singing softly along with the music as he worked steadily at reassembling the pots. Engrossed in his work, the hours melted away, and when Billy slid his arms around Dom's waist, he yelped in surprise, his body tensing in fear. Billy immediately withdrew his arms and murmured apologies.

"I'm sorry, Honey." He stepped back.

Dom took a deep breath, calming himself, relaxing the suddenly tense muscles. "Come back here, Ramrod," he murmured without looking up. "You startled me is all, Try that again."

A small smile curled up Billy's lips as he stepped forward, letting his fingers trace the bare flesh around Dom's waist, his body molding itself along Dom's back.

"Where's your sweater today?" Billy asked softly as Dom's head tilted to one side to allow Billy's lips access to the flesh there.

"Didn't need it," Dom murmured, his fingers released the potshards as he folded his arms over Billy's.

Billy lifted his head to look at Dom, wondering if he realized what he had just admitted to.

Dom's eyes darkened as he let his head fall back against Billy's shoulder. "Kiss me?" he whispered.

"Honey," Billy sighed, letting his lips press against Dom's for the briefest of seconds. "I came to see if you'd like to see some new kittens," he whispered against Dom's cheek. "And have lunch in the hayloft with me," Billy gestured to the back pack that sat in the doorway, a silver thermos poking from it's top.

"Just lunch?" Dom asked, kissing him gently.

"Well, unless you're going to tempt me some more," Billy replied, softly and pressed a long slow kiss to Dom's lips, then pulled back to look into Dom's face, speaking seriously. "I didn't come here just for sex, Dom. I really do love your company."

"I know that," Dom said, nodding. "Really, I do. But can't I want you, too?"

"You can want me all you want, Honey." Billy ground himself against Dom's back, his fingers dipping inside the loose waistband of Dom's low slung jeans to stroke his lower belly. "I want you like a fire burning," he murmured against Dom's neck before he released him. "C'mon, if we don't go soon, we'll be picnicking on your bed."

"There's a problem there, how?" Dom asked, smiling as he reached across the table to turn off the gooseneck lamp.

When the stretching revealed more of the golden skin that Dom normally kept covered, Billy's hands slid from Dom's hips, his thumbs caressing his lover's well-defined back dimples.

Loving the feel of Billy's fingers on his skin, Dom moaned softly and arched his back, the action baring more of his golden flesh, a soft sigh leaving his lips as he did. Stepping closer to Dom, Billy rubbed himself against Dom's buttocks as his hands caressed the exposed beauty of his lover's back, curving around his ribs and sliding across his chest. A moment later Billy's fingers found Dom's nipples and twisted them gently, his lips pressed against Dom's neck as Dom arched back even further into him with a wanton gasp of pleasure.

Sliding his hands down the length of Dom's torso, Billy let his fingertips play with the waistband of Dom's jeans before he plunged one hand inside the loose denim, his fingertips brushing across Dom's rising arousal. Grinding his own, seemingly ever present hardness against Dom's buttocks, Billy strung kisses across Dom's neck and shoulder before he pulled back, his breath heavy, and chest heaving. Control hanging by a ragged thread, Billy folded his hands across his chest in an effort not to reach out and touch his Honey.

"We've got to go, Dommie." He smiled, turning his head to look into Dom's confused, lust glazed eyes. "There's a loft full of fresh hay that I want to see you in."

"Then we should go." Dom smiled as he slipped out from between Billy and the table, pressing a light kiss to Billy's cheek before he walked into the bedroom, returning a few moments later, his ever present sweater covering his t-shirt.

"Why the cover up?" Billy frowned, instantly missing the bare flesh. Dom didn't even speak, just lifted the front of the sweater, revealing the sizable bulge of his arousal. "Point taken." Billy grinned and lifted the back pack over his shoulder, extending a hand to Dom.

Walking the short distance to the old barn, Billy sent Dom up the ladder to the hayloft first, more than happy to watch the play of muscles under denim as the younger man climbed. Billy would never have been prepared for what he found when he reached the top of the ladder himself, as Dom was laying on the blanket that Billy had spread on the fresh hay, his shirt and sweater a rumpled pile of blue fabric beside him.

"What took you so long?" Dom smiled at Billy, opening his arms to his lover.

"It may just have been something to do with the view," Billy said, setting the back pack down in the hay near the ladder and unsnapping the press stud closures on the front of his shirt. Dropping his hat carelessly beside the pack, Billy's shirt fell over the top of it before he fell to his knees beside Dom. "I'm here now. Does that count?"

"It does to me," Dom murmured as he kissed Billy's warm shoulder.

"We're supposed to be here for lunch," Billy stated softly as his hands brushed across Dom's bare skin.

"I'm not so hungry for food," Dom explained as he strung kisses along Billy's neck.

"You're too thin. You should be eating," Billy said, his hand finding Dom's heavy arousal and stroking it through the soft denim.

"Later," Dom groaned, arching up into Billy's touch. "Please Billy?" he whimpered.

"You know I can't say no to you," Billy sighed as he pulled deftly on the buttons of Dom's blue jeans.

"Better not," Dom whimpered, his own hands struggling to pull Billy's jeans open, fumbling with the heavy denim, soft mewling noises bubbling up from deep in his throat.

Billy slid his hands into the open V of Dom's jeans and closed his hand around his lover's hardness, his breath heaving as his lips slid against Dom's and then he pulled back to look into Dom's passion-clouded eyes. "Dommie," Billy whispered softly. "Slow down, Honey. We're not going anywhere," Billy said before he pressed his lips to Dom's throat.

"Easy for you to say," Dom murmured, his hand closing around Billy's as it stroked him wetly.

"Why?" Billy smiled as he let Dom's hand guide his own.

"You're not the one that's going to explode." Dom wrapped his legs around Billy's thighs and desperately ground himself against Billy.

"Trust me, Honey," Billy almost chuckled. "I won't let you explode."

"Help me, Billy," Dom whimpered.

"Like this?" Billy whispered against Dom's lips as he tightened his hand on Dom's burning arousal. A thumbnail scraped gently across Dom's sensitive tip as Billy let his fingers stroke Dom's length, and he rose up on his knees as his hand's pace increased. "Or maybe you'd prefer this." Leaning down, Billy flicks his pointy tongue across Dom's damp tip.

"Billy!"

Dom's cry echoed around the rafters in the barn as his hands flew to Billy's head and tangled in his ginger hair, his hips arching up, thrusting into Billy's mouth, incoherent mumblings falling from his kiss-swollen lips. One of Billy's hands continued stroking Dom's insistent length, his hot mouth closing around just the tip, and sucking in a cheek-hollowing pressure, his other hand gently caressing Dom's tight sac.

"Please. Please. Please." Dom's new mantra washed over both of them as his hips stuttered up towards Billy's mouth, his body taut. "Billy!" Dom moaned, his hands moving to grab handfuls of blanket and straw at his sides, his control completely lost as he reached his climax.

"See," Billy murmured as he pulled Dom into his arms, folding him into a tight embrace, Dom's slender body trembling from the intensity of his release. "I didn't let you explode."

Dom was silent for long minutes, his face nuzzled against Billy's neck.

"Billy?" he spoke gently, fingers tangling in Billy's furry chest hair.

"What's up, Honey?" Billy's brow furrowed, recognizing the smattering of fear, or maybe it was insecurity in Dom's voice as his fingers stroked Dom's bare back reassuringly.

"Can I?" Dom's voice broke nervously. "Can I do that for you?"

"Sweet Dom." Billy cupped his chin and turned Dom's blushing face up so that he could look into Dom's eyes. "You don't need to ask permission. My body is yours to explore, experiment with, and if it means you're touching me in any way….then it's all good." Billy pressed a wet kiss to Dom's lips. "I can't get enough of you, Dom. Don't you realize that?"

"You wouldn't mind?" Dom asked again, his eyes glittering.

Billy lifted Dom's hand from his chest and moved it down until it covered his arousal.

"Does that feel like I'd mind?" Billy almost groaned, his breath uneven.

"I guess not," Dom murmured with a smile.

Pulling out of Billy's embrace, Dom kicked his way out of his jeans and straddled Billy. Moving slowly, he took one of Billy's nipples into his mouth, sucking and licking it until the ginger hair that covered the rosy bud was glistening and wet. Repeating his motions on the other nipple, Dom then trailed his tongue across Billy's belly, dipping his long tongue in and out of Billy's navel repeatedly, plunging it in over and over, loving the soft, moaning sighs that Billy made when he did.

"You like that?" Dom asked as he looked up into Billy's flushed face.

"Honey, if I liked that anymore, I'd be exploding." Billy laughed tightly, his fingers carding through Dom's hair. "Taste me, Dommie?" he whispered.

Dom watched the naked pleading in his lover's eyes, his mouth twisting into a smile before he trailed his tongue lower, across Billy's thick nest of pubic hair and around the base of his pulsing arousal. Trailing his tongue along Billy's length, Dom snuggled his body between Billy's thighs, and looking up from under long dark lashes, he watched Billy's face as he flicked his tongue back and forth across the tip of Billy's hard erection. Pressing his tongue against the little slit that oozed the sweet/salty essence that was his Billy, Dom's fingers gently caressed and explored the taut sac beneath his arousal.

"Sweet heaven, Dommie," Billy moaned. "Please….Please just….Please?" he begged, hips aching up to thrust towards Dom's mouth.

"Please?" Dom murmured, his warm breath on the moist tip of Billy's cock sending a shudder of sensation through him. "Please suck you?" he growled.

"Yesssss!" Billy hissed. 'Please, Dommie.”

Dom's only answer was to slide his mouth over the head of Billy's cock, his mouth firm, lips covering his teeth as they clamped tightly around the leaking tip. Tongue flicking out to brush against the sensitive spot just below his head, Dom teased it over and over as his cheeks hollowed.

Whimpering under Dom's tender onslaught, Billy realized that the frequency of their unions didn't dissipate his desire for his lover, in fact, he was almost positive it only made every desire and every sensation more intense, more satisfying, and definitely harder to resist.

When Dom's long fingers closed around his thick length, Billy was lost, and because of the sensation of Dom's fingers and mouth on him, the fingers of his other hand gently twisting his taut sac, Billy gave up all semblance of control. Back arched, feet clenching inside his boots, Billy's fingers grabbed at handfuls of hay, his head thrown back, neck taut as he strained against the sensation flowing through his body. Glancing down, seeing Dom's stormy blue eyes looking up at him through thick dark lashes was his ultimate undoing.

Hips arched, the bones were prominent over the dark denim hanging from Billy's body as he reached his climax. Dom's lips closed tight around him, sucking Billy's fluids hungrily from him. As Billy sank bonelessly back down to the blanket beneath him, Dom crawled up his body, kissing Billy wetly before molding himself along Billy's side, eyes heavy as he rested his head against Billy's chest.

"Was that alright?" Dom whispered.

"Don't ever doubt yourself with me," Billy murmured. "I've never felt anything that I feel with you, with anyone else, Honey."

"But is that a good thing?" Dom frowned.

Billy stroked his back slowly. "It's a very good thing, my Dommie."

Billy's eyes flicked to the watch on his wrist and he sighed. "Dom, I have to go and take care of a couple of things, will you stay here….wait for me?"

"Will you be long?" Dom asked.

"If you were to have a nap," Billy kissed his blonde hair gently "You won't even miss me." His fingers stroked Dom's skin reassuringly. "Nobody uses this barn. It's only for the smithy's gear, and there's no use for that today. The men are all working in other parts of the ranch. You'll be safe here until I come back."

Dom pulled him into his embrace and kissed him, long, slow and wet. "Promise you'll hurry?"

"I'll be as quick as I can be, Dommie-mine."

"Then I'll be here," Dom says with a nod, sitting up in Billy's arms and gently pulling his jeans up over his hips and fastening them carefully.

"Careful or I won't be leaving at all," Billy sighed.

"I need to be careful for that?" Dom winked as he draped himself across Billy. "Will this do?"

"Tease." Billy nipped at Dom's lower lip as he rolled Dom onto his back. "Stay here. I won't be long, okay? I've just got to check on that horse, and I'll be right back."

"Don't rush for me," Dom murmured sleepily as Billy stood and lifted his shirt, shrugging into it as he watched Dom. Dropping down to straddle his lover's hips, Billy rested his weight on his hands as he kissed Dom, and his teeth tugging at Dom's bottom lip as he licked at the sensitive, kiss-swollen flesh.

"I'll always rush to get to you, Honey." Billy punctuated his statement with a quick, hard kiss, then stood, picked up his hat and climbed partway down the ladder before he spoke again. "I won't be long. You're safe here, Honey."

Dom laid on the blanket, his eyes closed, enjoying the silence of the barn, except for the soft mewling of the kittens they had come to check on. The tranquility was broken, however, when Dom heard the definite rustlings of someone on the main level of the barn.

Smiling at nothing in particular, Dom rolled on the blanket, his blue gray eyes intently watching the top of the ladder, waiting not so patiently for the appearance of Billy's beloved ginger head.

After a time, still hearing the muffled sounds from beneath him, Dom was beginning to wonder if his 'visitor' had been Billy at all. Surely if it had been Billy, he would be up in the hayloft already. Moving to the edge of the loft, Dom leaned barely over the edge and did in fact see gingery blonde hair. David. Dom pulled back from the edge nervously.

Quickly wriggling into his discarded jeans, teeth worrying his bottom lip anxiously, Dom groped across the fragrant hay for his t-shirt and sweater. Slipping them both on quickly, Dom moved closer to the edge of the loft, his eyes darting all over the barn, watching David as he collected tools and started a fire in the forge.

Observing David, Dom realized how alike, and yet how completely different he and Billy were. They both moved with the grace and fluidity of a dancer, their steps silent. Both, although vastly different in size, were strongly muscled, their coloring similar, while Billy's skin seemed to freckle, not tan, and David's hair was more blonde than ginger, and thicker, too.

But that was where their similarities ended. Every touch of Billy's was tempered with a gentle caring that Dom knew was the core of his lover. Gaze sliding over David's leanly muscled framed, Dom could see the barely harnessed pain and anger that was eating at David's soul. With a blinding flash of clarity, Dom realized that David was hurting just as badly as he himself had, for most of his life. David, however, had turned to dealing with his pain in a completely different way. It was strange, feeling a kindred spirit in a man that sent an icy frisson of fear down Dom's spine. When David strode out of the barn, Dom saw his chance. Scuttling quickly down the ladder, he had almost started to breathe again when a deep voice spoke to him.

"You didn't have to leave on my account."

Dom whirled around to look into serious blue eyes, his own eyes wide with fear. David stood between him and his only visible exit.

"No…." he stammered "No, it's alright. I should be going anyway."

"Billy shouldn't be too long," David added, his eyes appraising Dom slowly.

"It's alright, I'll see him later on." Dom folded his arms around his chest, backing slowly towards the huge barn doors.

"Alrighty then." David shrugged, and as Dom passed him, he lifted a hand to pluck some strands of crumpled straw from Dom's tousled hair.

David's fingers had barely skimmed across Dom's blonde strands when Dom flinched as though David had physically hit him. Dom's hands trembled as he wrapped his arms around himself and gripped his own sides tighter, willing his heart to stop racing and to stop the cold sweat beading on his skin. Fear froze Dom to the spot, his teeth bit down on his bottom lip so hard that he tasted the coppery tang of blood on his tongue, and his blue eyes were wide with bone chilling fear that threatened to sap his very soul before he managed to gather control of it again. All he wanted to do was run, run fast, away from this big, strong, military man and find safety. He wanted to lose himself in Billy's arms, because he was safe there. Billy wouldn't let anyone hurt him anymore.

David's lips compressed into a thin angry line, and he pulled his hand back as if burned, showing Dom the straw he had plucked from his tousled blond hair, before dropping it to the ground at Dom's feet.

"Is my brother the cause of that?"

Dom barely heard David's words, and it took even longer for comprehension of David's angry words to dawn. He shook his head wildly, eyes never leaving David's face, struggling to push his voice past the lump of fear in his throat.

"Be truthful with me, Dominic. If he hurt you, I'll kick his ass from here to Sunday. Our mama didn't raise us to hurt our loved ones."

"Billy could never hurt me," Dom murmured, pulling his shoulders taller, standing straighter, his love for, and need to defend Billy outweighing his fear. "He's sweet and kind and gentle," he continued, defending his lover.

"Good. Not words I've ever heard as descriptors for my brother, but good." David turned back to check on the temperature of the forge. "No-one, kin or not, has the right to beat on those close to them."

"You're right," Dom replied softly. "But that rarely stops them."

"It does if I know about it," David answered bluntly.

"There's not many men who would." Dom stood his ground, forgetting his wish to flee, suddenly curious about the man who was his lover. "I thought Billy was the only one."

"Told you our mama raised us right." David shrugged "Besides, there's only so much you can see before you fight back."

"You've seen it, haven't you?" Dom stated softly.

"Seen what?" David answered absently, busying himself with the horseshoe he'd come to repair. His strong fingers traced the metal as his mind sank slowly into memories of pain and death, suffering and anger that he was fighting to escape.

"The evil men can do," Dom whispered as he stepped one step closer.

David nodded tightly.

"Billy has too, hasn't he?" Dom probed.

"More than me," David replied with a nod.

"Why?" Dom spoke almost to himself. "Why when it hurts you so much, why do you keep going back? Why do you keep fighting?"

"Because there is always women and children, there is always someone weaker, persecuted by someone stronger, someone with more money, more power, more ego. Because it's not right to turn our backs and let them be hurt and tortured and beaten, just because they were born to a weaker minority. Because no matter how much it hurts us, to just ignore them, that hurts them more than we can ever be hurt."

"But there are other ways to help." Dom frowned. "Like welfare organisations?"

"They're a band aid over the festering wound that is the hierarchy of whichever insurgents have taken over the country at the time. The only way to stop them is to vaccinate the country. Welfare organizations hands are tied. Mine aren't. Billy's never were either."

"You're both very special men then," Dom murmured, one long fingered hand reaching out to press against David's shoulder in support and comfort, then pulling back to wrap around his ribs again. "I couldn't do what you do."

"Not special." David shook his head. "Well, I'm not anyway. Billy is. Always has been."

"Why is he alone?" Dom asked.

"He's not. He's got you now." David narrowed his eyes as he looked up at Dom. "Or are you planning on breaking his heart, too?"

"Breaking?" Dom frowned, puzzled by David's words. "Too? He's been hurt before?"

"When he was younger than you, I'd wager," David spoke. "Not my story to tell. Ask him, he'll tell you."

"When's he's ready, he will,” Dom replied, nodding in agreement. "Why did he leave Scotland?"

"He couldn't stay there and survive with a broken heart." David shrugged, pausing for a moment before he looked straight into Dom's face, his clear blue eyes, cold and hard with his intent. "I won't let you take the Double L away from him. It's his home now."

"I love your brother," Dom said softly, reaching out to press against David's arm. "I'm not planning on hurting him, ever. But thank you for loving him enough to protect him from me."

David looked at Dom, his gaze piercing and inscrutable. "No need. You're a good match for Billy. I'm glad he found you."

"I'm glad he found me, too," Dom said with a smile.

"You'd best get cleaned up, because you look like you've been fooling round in a hayloft." David smiled at Dom, gesturing to the straw caught in Dom's hair.

"Thanks, David." Dom nodded as his fingers brushed straw from his hair, then turned his back on the larger man and walked from the barn.

David waited until he could see Dom was out of earshot and almost back at the old ranch house.

"You can come out now," he spoke quietly, smiling smugly when Billy stepped out from behind a wall.

"Thanks, Daisy," Billy murmured.

"For what? He's like a skittish horse. I can see why you love him,” David replied. "He's easy to like. Who hurt him so badly he can't control it?"

"A bastard who didn't know what a prize he had," Billy explained. "If I ever meet him, he'll know the meaning of helpless and weak."

"Make sure I'm with you," David replied calmly, steel evident in his voice.

"I didn't mean for it to get so intimate up there. It was meant to be lunch."

"I'm guessing it was," David said with a wink.

"He's so beautiful when he forgets and just lives,” Billy murmurs. " He's so eager and innocent. He says things that set a fire in my blood that I just can't ignore."

"That goes for you, too. You haven't let go of that iron control in years. Maybe it's time you did." David looked him up and down. "You look like you've spent your life savings with a twenty dollar whore."

"Not even close my friend," Billy laughed. "Thanks for not scaring him. He's been hurt badly, and he just needs to be loved."

"I can see that, and looks to me like you're filling the job description admirably." David quirked one eyebrow. "He was more worried about defending you than being scared of me. He loves you, you know."

"I can't let him," Billy said as he shrugged. "I have to let him go at the end of the summer."

"You may not have a choice. He truly does love you."

"Daisy, you're nothing if not repetitive," Billy sighed.

"If I say it often enough, will you believe it?" David asked.

"Nope, I can't afford to."

"Can't afford to?" David repeated.

Billy shook his head, not daring to speak, the pain of having to let Dom go in a few short weeks already stealing his breath and breaking his heart.

"Pip?" David asked quietly, reverting to an old childhood nickname he hadn't regularly used since they were teenagers. David fondly remembered the huge book that his brother had pored over for most of his teenage years, that had produced the nickname. "Talk to me?"

Billy sighed and turned his back on his brother, not wanting to encounter David's knowing gaze as he spoke. Or see pity in his brother's eyes when the tears already welling in Billy's eyes overflowed.

"I love him, Daisy," Billy murmured. "So damn much." He sighed. "But not like Marton. It's different, it's deeper. I can't explain why…or how." Billy paused. "That's why I can't afford to think past summer."

David stepped closer, pressing one large hand against his brother's shoulder. "Why not?"

"You've seen him, Daisy. He's so beautiful, so pure and innocent and unscathed by 'our' world." Billy paused, swallowing tightly as his accent thickened and his voice cracked. "I have to let him go, let him find his own path. He can do so much better than a broken down, beat up, cowboy mercenary."

"Have you bothered to consider maybe you are the path?" David murmured.

"I can't be." Billy shook his head.

"Dammit, Pip," David sighed. "You've both in love, don't screw it up trying to be noble. You're a good, honorable man, he deserves you. Don't do it, Bro. So many people don't ever get that."

Billy turned to face his brother and looked up into his eyes.

"I love him," Billy said with a nod. "There's no denying that, but I love him enough to let him go. To let him find the partner he deserves."

"Don't fuck it up, Pip," David spoke softly. "What if you are the one? You'll both be miserable for the rest of your lives."

"I'm too old, too broken, too jaded. I was meant to fix him, not keep him."

David looked into his brother's eyes for a long moment, searching for a doubt. Not finding any, he pulled Billy into a tight embrace.

"I'm here when you need me," he stated against the top of Billy's head.

"Thanks." Billy sighed, pulling away from David's embrace. "Same here. You know that, don't you?"

"Nothing to tell, Pip." David turned his attention back to the forge.

"Horseshit," Billy spoke, his small hands on his hips as he watched his brother's avoidance tactics. "Cate called."

"She's got no fucking right." David spun around, his blue eyes glistening like ice chips. "I'm no longer in her employ."

"Dammit, Daisy," Billy cursed. "She's worried about you. About your daughter. She was being a friend, not a CO." He paused, watching his words penetrate David's anger. "When were you going to tell me about your baby?"

"She's not my baby," David replied with a shrug.

"Cate seems to think she is," Billy probed.

"I found her," David murmured with a shrug. "Militants had killed her family, missed her, I don't know how, but when I found her, she was dehydrated. She was almost dead. I couldn't leave her, Pip,” he spoke softly. "So I lied. I said she was mine, and I brought her home with me."

"Where is she?" Billy asked quietly.

"Miranda has her until she's strong enough and I work out what to do."

"Which is?"

"How the fuck would I know, Billy?" David hissed. "I didn't think ahead alright? All I knew was if I left that tiny little angel there, she'd be dead now." He paused trying desperately not to lose his temper. "I couldn't let her die. I couldn't save her family, but I could save her."

"Will you tell me about her?" Billy slipped his hands into his pockets, his stance loose, eyes fixed on his brother. "Please?"

"No-one is sure how old she is. Doc guessed she was about 2 months old when I found her. She's so tiny, that when I first picked her up, she wasn't even as long as my forearm and weighed no more than a feather, with thick black hair and brilliant green eyes. " David looked into Billy's eyes, his own filled with sadness. "She's bigger now, and she's filling out, but she still doesn't cry."

"Why not?" Billy frowned.

"Don't know. Even when they were inoculating her, she barely even whimpered." David shrugged. "It was eerie."

"Want me to talk to Liv and Viggo? You can bring her here," Billy suggested.

"That wouldn't be any better, Pip." David sighed with a gentle shrug. "I can't work with her with me. She needs a family."

"Want me to scout around my contacts?" Billy whispered, frowning.

"Thanks, Pip," David replied softly. "I'd love to keep her in the family, but none of us are exactly family material."

"I'll see what I can do," Billy stated with a nod. "I've got to check on that filly again. If Dom comes back, tell him I'll see him after dinner."

"Sure," David replied, turning his attention to his work at hand as Billy strode out of the barn.

[Chapter 21](http://community.livejournal.com/monaboyd/1637642.html)

  



	24. Western Lovers: Cowboys and Archaeologists 21/30

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Billy is a man to be reckoned with. Can Dom heal his wounded soul and his own into the bargain. Could Billy make him forget the bitter lessons of the past?

_**Fic: Western Lovers:Cowboys & Archaeologists 21/30**_  
  


[](http://photobucket.com)

  
 **Title:** Western Lovers: Cowboys and Archaeologists 21/30  
 **Author:** [](http://sassywitch.livejournal.com/profile)[**sassywitch**](http://sassywitch.livejournal.com/)  
 **Pairing:** BB/DM with a smattering of VM/LT and DW/OB  
 **Rating:** NC-17, to be on the safe side.  
 **Summary:** Billy is a man to be reckoned with. Can Dom heal his wounded soul and his own into the bargain. Could Billy make him forget the bitter lessons of the past?  
 **Feedback:** Feedback is my writers crack, which is not to be confused at all with plumbers crack.  
 **Disclaimer:** Not at all true in reality. These men whilst adorable and perfectly happy to slash themselves, their actual relationship is something that they only know. This story is adapted from a series of books that I adored when I was younger written by Elizabeth Lowell.  
 **Word Count:** 3575  
 **Header Art:** Courtesy of the incredibly talented [](http://loki-girl.livejournal.com/profile)[**loki_girl**](http://loki-girl.livejournal.com/)  
 **Previous Chapters:** can be found [Here](http://www.livejournal.com/tools/memories.bml?user=sassywitch&keyword=Western+Lovers&filter=all)  
 **A/N:** A huge thank you to [](http://dylan-dufresne.livejournal.com/profile)[**dylan_dufresne**](http://dylan-dufresne.livejournal.com/) for the inspiration, the prodding and the beta. My grammar sucks really, really badly so she had to suffer it so nobody else would. Yes, yes i know, Next Chapter on Friday.

~*~*~*~*~*~

Dom moved slowly down the loose, sandstone path towards the waterhole that he and Billy had discovered. With his towel thrown carelessly over his bare shoulder, Dom strolled towards his bath time leisurely. He hadn't seen Billy return from the Kiva yet, so Dom had time to relax in the sun warmed water before he returned to camp and started preparing their evening meal.

Fingers tracing the light smattering of hair on his chest, Dom stopped dead in his tracks as he heard water splashing. Unconsciously spreading his towel over his shoulder to cover more of his bare chest, Dom pressed himself against the canyon wall beside him. Taking a deep breath, he peered around the edge of the wall, trying to see who was in their waterhole. What he saw took his breath away.

Billy stood in the shallows of the waterhole, his pale skin contrasting with the deep golden walls of sandstone behind him, the crystal clear water reflecting the fading rays of sunlight filtering across the top of the ravine as water sluiced off his naked body. Dom's teeth worried his bottom lip as he watched the rivulets of water trickle down Billy's firmly muscled back. Heat began to pool, low in Dom's belly as he watched his lover bathing. Wanting nothing more than to take the place of the washcloth that Billy swiped clinically over his body, Dom closed his eyes and drew in a deep breath, his feet slowly moving him forward. Dropping the towel he carried along his path to the water, uncaring of where it fell, or the fact that he still wore the cut off shorts he had changed into when he had returned to camp, Dom walked right into the water.

Billy had turned as he heard Dom's footsteps, a slow smile creasing his face as he watched Dom approaching, and his eyes filled with emerald fire as he realized Dom's intentions. Without moving his gaze from Dom's face, Billy lifted his washcloth and threw it towards the bank. Opening his arms to Dom, Billy stepped back into deeper water as Dom reached him and wrapped his long arms around Billy tightly. Lips meeting Billy's in an open mouthed kiss, their lips slid across each others wetly as the water rushed up to meet them.

The force of Dom's impact with Billy pushed them backwards and they fell into the water, neither of them willing to give up his hold on the other as they sank through the crystal clear, sun warmed liquid, Dom's legs tangled with Billy's. Small, strong hands roamed the length of Dom's back and thighs while Dom's hands cupped Billy's face as they kissed, sharing their breath and their overwhelming need for the other until their lungs burned with the need for air. Pressing one hand to the rocky floor of the pond beneath him, Billy pushed them back towards the surface.

As they broke the surface of the water, their lips broke apart, and gasping for breath, Billy floated calmly on his back. Cradling Dom against him, Billy's feet moved through the water, one hand stroking the water gently, keeping them both afloat as they inhaled deeply. Dom's fingers toyed with Billy's nipples as he leaned into the floating embrace, basking in their easy companionship.

"Keep that up and we won't be floating for long," Billy sighed unable and unwilling to hide the effect Dom's caresses were having on his body.

"Good," Dom murmured, his fingers tangling in the soft curls on Billy's chest and belly.

"You're incredible, Honey," Billy murmured, pressing a kiss against the top of Dom's damp head, his hand propelling them back towards shallow water. As they bumped against the smooth lip of submerged sandstone, Billy rolled towards Dom, his hands framing Dom's head, keeping him above the shallow water as their lips met in a long, deep kiss. "Let's go back to camp, Hon," Billy whispered into Dom's mouth, his pelvis pushing slowly against Dom's sharply delineated hipbone.

"No," Dom murmured, rolling Billy onto his back in the water, sliding off their rock ledge and back into the silent depths again. This kiss less urgent, less frantic, Dom's fingers found Billy's growing arousal and caressed it slowly as they sank deeper under the water. Wrapped in their own, sun-tinged cocoon of warm water, Dom opened his eyes, watching Billy's face as they kissed slowly, tongues tangling hungrily before he pressed his foot against the floor of the pond and pushed them back towards the surface.

"Here, Bills," Dom gasped as he caught his breath. "In the pond, right now."

"Dammit, Honey. You know I can't say no to you," Billy murmured as his feet found the ledge beneath them and he let his hands caress his lover. Moving quickly down his smooth, flat belly to the button fly that covered the hard ridge of Dom's arousal, Billy's fingers lingering over the fabric suggestively.

"Billy, don't tease. Please?" Dom tipped his head back, his hands on Billy's shoulders, hair brushing the surface of the water as he thrust his hips tighter against his lover.

"Dommie." Billy pulled Dom back to him and trailed kisses up the wet column of his neck, licking the droplets of water from his skin. "You should've thought about that before you came in here clothed."

"You should've said that already, Billy," Dom whimpered, one hand tangling in Billy's hair and pressing his mouth closer to Billy's skin before he pulled away. Both of Billy's strong hands gripped Dom's waistband and pulled hard on the fabric.

A wide, lazy grin split Billy's face as he watched several buttons sink to the bottom of the pond, quickly forgotten and left to become ancient relics for a future generation. The heavy fabric was pushed down Dom's legs by his long, impatient fingers as his mouth swooped in to take Billy's hungrily.

Shorts forgotten as they tangled at his feet, Dom let the water take his weight and wrapped his legs around Billy's hips, the discarded article of clothing falling to the floor of the pond. As his heels caressed the backs of Billy's thighs, Dom's hips thrust in a lazy rhythm while his tongue thrust into Billy's mouth slowly, fingers twisting in his hair, pulling him closer.

"C'mon, Billy," Dom murmured against Billy's skin, the tip of his long tongue trailing the length of Billy's face. "Need you."

"Slow down, Honey," Billy hissed as his fingers trailed across Dom's buttocks, sliding across his entrance slowly. "Don't want to hurt you."

"Won't." Dom shook his head, spraying water across Billy and the rippling surface of the water around them, his hand sliding between their bodies to close around Billy's arousal. "C'mon, Billy."

Aquiescing to his lover's request, Billy's finger pushed slowly into Dom's entrance, his body arching against Billy, almost toppling them in the water. Dom's blissful cries echoed along the walls of sandstone that surrounded them, and his fingers tightened around Billy's throbbing erection so desperately that a similar cry bubbled from Billy's lips. As Dom relaxed against him, Billy pushed a second finger into his tight body, scissoring them carefully as he let his teeth close on Dom's shoulder, sucking and licking the cool, smooth skin there.

"Nuff," Dom ground out against Billy's temple, one arm wrapped around Billy's neck, the other trapped between their bodies as he stroked Billy's cock firmly, his hips pushing harder and faster against Billy, grinding his arousal against Billy's furry belly. "Now," he whispered into Billy's ear as he nipped at the fleshy lobe.

Billy pulled back far enough to grip the side of Dom's face with one trembling hand and looked deep into Dom's passion glazed eyes.

"Are you sure, Dommie?" Billy murmured tenderly.

Teeth white against his deep, pink, kiss-swollen lips, his eyes heavy lidded, Dom returned Billy's level gaze with a breathy nod. "Please," Dom whimpered as he nuzzled his cheek onto Billy's hand, hips grinding down onto Billy's probing fingers. "Need."

Fingers brushing across the tight little bundle of nerves his fingers sought, Billy held Dom tightly as Dom’s whimpers of desperation caught against Billy's neck.

Pulling Dom's face to his with one strong hand, Billy met his lips in a wet, nipping kiss while his arousal nudged against Dom's entrance, and Billy held his breath tightly as he struggled to maintain control, Dom's arms holding him close.

Dom's hips began to undulate against Billy, his lips nipping at the tender skin of Billy's neck while Billy struggled to keep them upright as Dom ground into Billy, desperately seeking completion. Fingers finding Dom's buttocks, Billy's nails left crescent shapes in his soft skin as he pushed deeper and harder, every thrust pushing him against Dom's prostate, drawing incoherent moans from Dom's lips.

Feeling Dom's rippling body go taut against his own, a powerful climax bubbles under the surface of his superheated skin, causing Billy to give in to his own desires. Billy's mouth found Dom's slickly, sealing their lips together, hips grinding furiously against each other as Billy's hand found Dom's throbbing arousal. Stroking Dom feverishly, Billy let himself fall against Dom, both of them sinking under the surface of the water.

In their own moist cocoon, they had no hope of holding their control. Senses overwhelming him, Dom found his release in Billy's hand, their bodies completely submerged. As they sank through the water and Dom's body clenched around him, Billy thrust frantically, his feet pushing them off from the floor of the pond, his body desperately finding release as they burst out of the water, gasping raggedly for breath.

"You're going to kill me," Billy finally spoke, his lips sliding tenderly against Dom's skin, tongue catching the droplets of water that trickled across Dom's glistening chest.

"What a way to go," Dom replied sleepily, sinking into Billy's embrace, his lips curving into a grin against the warm pale skin as his breathing began to slow again.

"I could think of worse ways," Billy chuckled, pressing his lips against Dom's wet hair.

After a few moments, Dom disentangled himself from Billy's arms. "Definitely," he said before leaning in to kiss Billy gently. "I love you." He breathed against Billy's lips before pressing forward for a second kiss, this one deeper and more passionate.

Billy never spoke, just simply pulled Dom tight to his body, fingers trailing across still trembling muscles as he gently caressed.

Releasing Dom, Billy pressed a short, hard kiss against Dom's swollen lips before diving into the depths of the water. Surfacing mere moments later, he held Dom's dripping cargo shorts above his head.

"Missing anything?" he quirked an eyebrow.

"Getting back into them is going to be interesting," Dom, sighed taking them from Billy's hand as he pressed his mouth to Billy's, his tongue dipping between Billy's lips as they parted under his.

"Don't bother," Billy murmured, trailing his lips down Dom's lithe body to the water level and below, swirling his tongue in and around his navel before rising to kiss Dom's lips again.

"I'm sure we can work something out."

"I can't go back naked, Billy." Dom's eyes widened as he slipped back into the water. "What if….?"

"No what if's, Honey, and I wasn't suggesting naked." Billy's warm hands wrapped around Dom's shoulders as he spoke gently.

"I'm sorry," Dom murmured, sinking into Billy's embrace.

"Don't be sorry," Billy soothed him. "It's a natural reaction, Honey." He murmured. "A month ago, you would have had the same reaction if I had suggested making love in a waterhole, but what just happened was all you, Honey." Pausing, Billy took a breath. "Do you know how proud I am of you? You're slowing learning to let go of the fears that have kept the real you hidden for so long."

"How am I supposed to remember anything when I see you like that?" Dom murmured. "You are so beautiful, Billy. So hard and masculine, but so soft at the same time. Seeing you here took my breath away. I couldn't think of anything else, I just had to touch you, had to feel you. I wanted you so badly." Tilting his head to one side, Dom kissed Billy slowly and deeply. "So badly."

"It's not me, Honey." Billy pressed a hand against Dom's chest, over his strong beating heart. "It's in here, and I'm so proud to have been the one to show you."

"You didn't," Dom whispered. "You loved me. Whether you meant it or not, you loved me and keep showing me that love isn't pain at all." Dom paused, choosing his words carefully. "Whether you believe it or not, you taught me to feel the difference." Dom pulled away from Billy slowly and extended a hand to him as he stepped out of the water. Billy reached out and slid his fingers into Dom’s. "It's not me. It's you, Billy. You taught me how to be loved."

"Dom." Billy's voice held a warning tone that hadn't been there moments before.

"I know, you don't want to talk about it." Dom shrugged as he laced his fingers through Billy's. "I get that, I do, I just…." Dom sighed. "You brought it up, Billy. Not me. I was just telling you how I see what's happened." He turned away from Billy and continued speaking. "I know you don't want to love me, and that's fine, but even you can't deny that every touch you've given me, the way you so desperately ensure my comfort before you think about your own, you might not have wanted to, but you have taught me how to be loved." Dom turned back toward Billy, his eyes shining. "I'll never ever forget that, Billy. Not ever."

"Dom, I don't want to talk about this now," Billy said with a heavy sigh, his eyes suspiciously bright.

"Why not, Bills?" Dom asked, his tone unmistakably frustrated. "When are we going to talk about it? I'm not here for much longer. Or were you just going to let me drive away and watch me leave."

"Dommie," Billy growled. "Leave it alone."

"I can't, Billy. Not now," Dom said sadly. "You make love to me. Love, Billy. It's not sex, it's love. Even an idiot like me can tell the difference. And you're just going to let me walk away, and I can't understand why."

"It's not love, Dom," Billy ground out. "I won't let it be."

"You won't let it be?" Dom frowned. "What the fuck does that mean?"

"You have to go home at the end of summer. You can't stay here." Abruptly, Billy turned away.

Dom grabbed Billy's shoulder and pulled firmly, spinning him back towards him. "You're sending me away?" he asked and then paused. "After all this?" Dom couldn't help the tears that welled up in his eyes "After…after what we've had?"

Billy grabbed Dom's arms, his green eyes boring into Dom's face as he spoke. "Don't you get it yet, Dommie I don't want to, but I have to. It's how it has to be. I'm no good for saddling up. It's better that you hurt a little now, then I break you later on. I don't want to, but I have to."

"Tell me why, Bills?" Dom asked softly, seeing the desolation and pain in Billy's eyes. "Please, Bills. Don't you owe me that much?" He let his hands rest on Billy's hips.

Billy shook his head, finally breaking his visual contact with Dom. "I can't, Dom. I have secrets, too. Secrets I haven't talked about since I was younger than you. I can't talk about it, and I won't hurt you."

"for fucks sake, Billy! Don't you realize you already are?" Dom asked hoarsely.

Billy's eyes softened at Dom's words. "I'm sorry, Dom," he whispered, one hand reaching to stroke the soft damp hair from Dom's forehead. "I never meant to hurt you. Never. I'd take my own life before I'd harm a hair on your head. If I'd known you'd fall in love with me, I would never have let this start." Billy's voice trailed off, and he shrugged sadly.

"How did you think I wouldn't, Billy?" Dom asked, looking at him incredulously. "How could anyone spend any time with you and not love you?"

"I'm far from lovable, Dom," Billy eplied with a frown. "Ask any of the hands."

"I don't want to ask the hands. I don't need to ask the hands. They don't really know you." Dom stepped closer. "The people that matter love you, because of who you are. Unconditionally. The same way you love them. The same way I love you, whether you want it or not. It just happened, because of the man that you are. I can't change it. I don't want to change it."

"You should," Billy murmured. "I only lead to hurt."

"Whoever told you that is a bloody fool," Dom cussed softly, his hand reaching out to brush Billy's cheek gently as he drew a deep breath. "I'm sorry I brought it up, Billy," he murmured, leaning in to press his face against Billy's shoulder. "We have so little time left, I don't want to waste it fighting."

Billy wrapped his arms around Dom's bare waist and absorbed the feel of Dom into his own being. "Neither do I, Dommie. Neither do I."

"So, how am I getting back to camp if I'm not going naked?" Dom asked, the forced humor in his question grating to both of them.

"My jeans," Billy answered simply.

"And if I'm wearing your jeans, how am I supposed to concentrate while you're naked?" Dom grinned cheekily. "You saw what happened when I got here."

"I have a towel," Billy answered as he wrapped the rectangle of material around his own body, settling the knot low on his hips.

Bending down, Billy lifted his jeans and offered them to Dom. "They should fit well enough in the short term. They might be a bit snug and too short, but they'll do until we get back to camp." Smiling, Billy paused. "Knew that one of these days I'd get you into my pants."

"About as long as it took me to get you out of them apparently," Dom answered dryly as he stepped into Billy's jeans, fastening all but the last two buttons.

"Are you planning on making it back to camp unravished?" Billy quirked an eyebrow at Dom , his gaze dropping to the half buttoned jeans.

"That would depend on if you're planning on getting back still wrapped in that towel," Dom countered. Seeing a heated sparkle in Billy's eye, Dom winked provocatively then ran, flicking Billy with the end of his own towel as he passed him. "I'll be waiting," he called over his shoulder as he ran, laughing at Billy's muttered curses as he rubbed the stinging flesh that the towel connected with.

Billy walked slowly back into their camp site, his mind awhirl with thoughts, both disturbed and strangely rewarded by Dom's honesty and candor. A few weeks ago, Dom would have nodded his head and accepted Billy's words without a whimper, no matter how much they hurt him. Now, Dom had faced off with him, Billy realized as a rueful smile creased his face, even as sharp tears stung his eyes. Dom had resolutely stood toe to toe with Billy and fought for what he wanted.

As much as Billy ached to keep his Honey with him forever and then some, he couldn't stifle the loving, devoted, adventurous man that was emerging from the stifling cocoon he had hidden his beauty within for most of his adult life. Dom deserved the opportunity to unfurl his beautiful wings and fly high and bright, not burn against the flame that released him.

Scrubbing his fingers through his damp, thinning hair, Billy shook his head, his face a mask of confusion. What exactly did Dom see in him? Dom with his innocent, youthful beauty and his fragile soul, delicate, yet with a core of hearty resilience at his centre. Dom glowed with an inner beauty that made you see past the tiny flaws in his appearance. Once you knew Dom, you saw nothing but his beauty, inside and out, and yet, that beautiful creature professed to love him. Billy had no reason to doubt Dom's sincerity as he saw it every time Dom glanced at him, every time he spoke to him. Dom's love washed over him with his every word and touch. What puzzled Billy, was why?

His hair was nowhere as thick as it used to be, his face slowly being lined by time, and there was the once flat expanse of his belly. What was once a tight, impressive six pack, was morphing itself into at least a small keg as he approached middle age. Billy snickered to himself. Approached. Who was he trying to kid? He was already there. Billy didn't know exactly what Dom saw in him, or even why for that matter, because he didn't even have the slightest measure of the inner beauty that Dom had. Shaking his head as he remembered things he had been forced to do to survive, before he had made his home on Double L, Billy told himself that he'd seen too much, done too much in the name of survival, killed too much in his fight to save innocents, to let his past taint his beautiful Dom.

[Chapter 22](http://community.livejournal.com/monaboyd/1639580.html)

  



	25. Western Lovers: Cowboys and Archaeologists 22/30

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Billy is a man to be reckoned with. Can Dom heal his wounded soul and his own into the bargain. Could Billy make him forget the bitter lessons of the past?

_**FIC:Western Lovers: Cowboys & Archaeologists 22/30**_  
  


[](http://photobucket.com)

  
 **Title:** Western Lovers: Cowboys and Archaeologists 22/30  
 **Author:** [](http://sassywitch.livejournal.com/profile)[**sassywitch**](http://sassywitch.livejournal.com/)  
 **Pairing:** BB/DM with a smattering of VM/LT and DW/OB  
 **Rating:** NC-17, to be on the safe side.  
 **Summary:** Billy is a man to be reckoned with. Can Dom heal his wounded soul and his own into the bargain. Could Billy make him forget the bitter lessons of the past?  
 **Feedback:** Feedback is my writers crack, which is not to be confused at all with plumbers crack.  
 **Disclaimer:** Not at all true in reality. These men whilst adorable and perfectly happy to slash themselves, their actual relationship is something that they only know. This story is adapted from a series of books that I adored when I was younger written by Elizabeth Lowell.  
 **Word Count:** 4926  
 **Header Art:** Courtesy of the incredibly talented [](http://loki-girl.livejournal.com/profile)[**loki_girl**](http://loki-girl.livejournal.com/)  
 **Previous Chapters:** can be found [Here](http://www.livejournal.com/tools/memories.bml?user=sassywitch&keyword=Western+Lovers&filter=all)  
 **A/N:** A huge thank you to [](http://dylan-dufresne.livejournal.com/profile)[**dylan_dufresne**](http://dylan-dufresne.livejournal.com/) for the inspiration, the prodding and the beta. My grammar sucks really, really badly so she had to suffer it so nobody else would. A couple of hours early because I'm off to bed, it's been a big week and I'm sleepy, though the alarms set so I can get up and read [](http://dylan-dufresne.livejournal.com/profile)[**dylan_dufresne**](http://dylan-dufresne.livejournal.com/) 's latest chapter. I'm posting this just in case i sleep through my alarm. Next Chapter on Monday.

~*~*~*~*~*~ 

Rounding the edge of the sandstone wall, Billy stopped dead in his tracks, his mouth dry, and his fingers itching to reach out and touch. Stretched out naked on their comfortable bedroll, his damp, blond hair finger tousled, Dom's golden, muscular arms are folded under his head, his eyes closed, exquisitely long, thick lashes brushing against his golden cheeks. The sun, sinking slowly below the edge of the cliff opposite them, cast glorious red and gold beams across their campsite, leaving a glowing, golden halo around his lover's tanned body.

"You took your time," Dom murmured softly, not opening his eyes, deceptively relaxed against the sleeping bag.

Billy heard Dom's words, but couldn't force himself to answer. Jade, green eyes hungrily drank in the vision that had presented itself to Billy, his voice stolen by the burning hunger that devoured him, his blood heating and body hardening as the hunger built.

"Billy?" Dom's voice said uncertainly, his eyes opening, searching for his lover. Watching Dom's eyes flick nervously across the camp site before settling on him, a frown furrowed Dom's forehead as Billy gazed at him. "Bills? Are you alright? What's wrong? Did I do something wrong?"

"Wrong?" Billy croaked, as he observed Dom pushing himself up onto his elbows, off the bedroll. "Don't move!" he exclaimed sharply.

"What?" Dom said with a frown. "What's wrong, Billy?"

"Nothing," Billy whispered. "Absolutely nothing." Billy's shaking hand moved to the knot of terry toweling on his hip, and after releasing it, he let the material fall to the ground. Closing the distance between them in a few short steps, Billy sank to his knees beside Dom, his trembling fingers reaching out to trace Dom's glowing skin from shoulder to knee. Calloused fingers lingering as they glided across Dom's body, Billy's eyes never left Dom's as his fingertips memorized the warm skin.

"Then why are you trembling?" Dom asked quietly, his own hands moving, one resting lightly on Billy's hip, the other catching Billy's hand and bringing it to his lips as he pressed a soft, lingering kiss to Billy's knuckles.

"Trembling?" Billy asked, confused as he watched Dom's lips caressing his hand, breath hitching in his throat, seeing the pink tip of Dom's tongue flicking out to lick the skin there.

"Yes, Billy," Dom murmured, the furrows across his forehead smoothing a little as he uncurled Billy's fingers, kissing each one slowly. "Trembling. What's wrong?"

Billy shook his head, trying desperately to clear the sensuous fog that had wrapped itself around him at the first sight of Dom's golden, sunbathed body. "Nothing's wrong. You're just so perfect, Honey. I can't help shaking."

"Then I'll get dressed," Dom whispered with a smile, his tongue flicking out to trace the length of Billy's index finger before sucking it into his mouth.

"Don't. You. Dare," Billy groaned as he moved to straddle Dom's lithe body, his free hand cupping Dom's face as he continued to suck Billy's finger, his tongue swirling around it teasingly.

"You know I could help you out with that." Dom's smoldering, smoky blue gaze flickered down to Billy's arousal. "If you wanted me to, of course."

"You could, could you?" Billy asked, his mouth dry at the thought of the myriad of ways Dom could help.

"Only if you want me to." Dom grinned, his tongue lathing a wet path across Billy's palm.

"Want is a powerful thing, Dommie," Billy sighed as Dom's teeth captured the tip of his finger and nipped gently.

"Tell me about it, Bills." Watching Billy's face through heavy-lidded eyes, and reaching up with one hand, Dom traced his fingers along the taut length of Billy's neck, his head tilted back, gasping his arousal into the evening sky. "So do you want me to?" he murmured

"Do I what, Honey?" Billy frowned, desperately trying to remember what the original question had been.

"Want me to help you?" Dom's lips curled loosely into a grin as he watched Billy's struggle.

"Help me?" Billy's brow furrowed in confusion, his eyes locked on Dom's fingers stroking the pounding pulse in his wrist, and Dom's long tongue swirling around his finger.

"You know?" Dom's tongue trailed across Billy's skin, pressing between each finger and licking across his palm. "If you had something that was too… hard to sort out on your own?" His gaze flickered from Billy's face to his groin and back again.

"Too hard?" Billy whimpered as his mind finally registered what Dom was saying. "For fucks sake, Honey. Please." He paused, unable to stop the undulations of his hips at the thought of Dom's touch. "Just. Touch. Me."

"Thought you'd never ask, Billy," Dom whispered, his free hand sliding from Billy's knee to his hip in one long, gliding stroke, fingers twisting gently in the tightly curled hair he encountered.

"Dommie!!" Billy whimpered, his hips thrusting up towards, desperate for Dom's touch.

"Yes Billy?" Dom asked gently, his fingers moving to dance across Billy's taut belly.

"Please, Honey," Billy growled, his hips thrusting into the air, begging silently for Dom.

"Bills?" Dom's brow furrowed in a frown as he lifted his hand to wipe away the perspiration doting Billy's forehead. "You sure you're alright? You're awfully hot."

Billy's thighs trembled as he struggled to maintain his tightly held control, and even a pinch of his comprehension. Lowering his body, he leaned back against Dom's thighs, and he willed himself to relax, and as he did, Dom's throbbing erection pressed between the cleft of his taut buttocks. Leaning into the heated pressure of Dom's arousal, Billy ground back, smiling as Dom's calm façade cracked and he arched into Billy's touch so wildly he almost threw Billy from him, an urgent whimper bubbling from his lips.

Suddenly, Dom's long elegant fingers closed around Billy's erection and his control was shattered, hips stuttering forward, seeking to plunge deeper into the tight fisted grip of Dom's hand. The tight, white hot grip of Dom's hand closed around Billy, stealing any coherence he had clung to, and breathless, throaty whimpers toppled from Dom's lips. Gasping sounds of need and passion fill the air, hips pushing higher and harder as Billy's own fingers grip Dom's wrist tightly, begging with his fingertips to squeeze tighter, stroke faster, twist, for fuck's sake, twist harder.

Dom's eyes met Billy's as he stroked Billy's hardness, and they didn't need words to know what the other wanted.

 _You like that, don't you, Billy?_ Dom's fingers tightened, his finger and thumb squeezing Billy's tip teasingly as his fisted hand twisted almost roughly.

 _Fuck yes._ Billy's eyes almost rolled back in his head as he struggled to remember to breathe.

 _You need more, don't you?_ Dom tipped his head forward, his long tongue reaching out to flick across Billy's weeping tip and push against the slit it encountered there.

 _God, Dommie. Please God, don't stop._ Billy pushed forward into Dom's fist, his entire body quivering with need.

Dom released his grip on Billy to curl his fingers tightly around Billy's thighs, digging into Billy's taut muscles, pulling him forward. Stretching his swollen lips over his teeth, Dom closed his mouth around the tip of Billy's arousal. _Like that, Bills?_

 _When did you learn to do that?_ Billy's eyes were a burning emerald fire as his fingers tangled in Dom's tousled hair, begging Dom to take him in deeper.

 _It's amazing what you just know, Bills._ Long fingers resumed their tight grip, as Dom’s hand slid along Billy's length.

 _Slow down, Dommie. What about you?_ His eyes rolled back as Dom's cheeks hollowed with the tight suction of his mouth.

 _Later. Making memories, Bills._ As his free hand lifted, Dom’s fingers traced Billy's cherubic lips.

 _Don't need memories. Need you._ Billy moaned as he sucked Dom's fingers into his mouth, licking them wetly.

 _This'll have to do then._ Cheek's hollowing, tongue flicking and hand stroking, his other hand trailed lower, past Billy's taut scrotum and along the sensitive skin behind, his saliva slick fingers rubbing across Billy's tightly puckered entrance.

 _Not. Gonna. Last._ The feel of Dom's long, slender finger brushing across his entrance brought memories of Dom pushing his thick arousal deep inside Billy, and mental images of himself riding his lover wildly merged with the sight of Dom's constant gaze on Billy. Now, along with the feel of his tight, wet mouth and firm, twisting grip, the tip of Dom's finger pressed inside Billy with slow, insidious pressure that settled him on a knife edge of sensation.

 _Let go, Bills. Want to taste you._ Dom slid his finger slowly into Billy, slowly, letting him adjust before he slid even deeper. Closing his sheathed teeth around Billy's tip and sucking ferociously, Dom's hand slid faster, twisting tighter, and he watched as Billy's entire body tensed, fighting the release he so desperately needed. Then Dom's finger grazed the tiny bundle of nerves inside Billy.

 _Sorry,_ Billy's eyes said as they rolled up to the clouds, his head thrown back as he screamed his release to the indigo sky, fingers tangled painfully in Dom's hair, his entire body stiff as his salty release pulsed against Dom's tongue.

 _Don't be sorry. Beautiful,_ Dom's eyes spoke as he lathed his tongue along Billy's softening erection, fingers dancing along Billy's ribs as he rolled onto his side on the bedroll, taking Billy with him.

They lay that way in comfortable silence, limbs tangled and eyes drowsy as they relaxed into each other, recovering their breath.

Billy tilted his head back to look up into Dom's slumberous gaze. "Thank you." He pressed a soft kiss against Dom's lips. "Your turn." He purred, his fingers trailing across Dom's chest.

"I'm good," Dom murmured, a gentle blush coloring his cheeks as his gaze flickered away from Billy's.

"You're….?" Billy started to say in confusion, but as recognition dawned on his face, Billy glanced down Dom's body. "Really?" he asked gently, his fingers tracing up the side of Dom's face to twirl softly in his hair as he spoke.

Dom nodded, his blush deepening as he swallowed tightly. "You really didn't expect me to watch you like that and survive intact, did you?"

"I'm sorry, Honey," Billy spoke, guilt tingeing his words as he realized Dom's intoxicating touch had overwhelmed him, pulling him under Dom's spell so far that his only cognizance was what Dom was doing to him, not what he could be doing for Dom.

"For what, Billy?" Dom asked as he frowned.

"For not looking after you." Leaning up to kiss Dom wetly, Billy's fingers absently brushed across Dom's nipples lightly.

"This is a two way street, Bills." Dom laced his fingers through Billy's hair and pulled his face closer to deepen the kiss. "You need looking after too. Besides you did look after me."

"Dom, I never even touched you, Honey. You had me so turned on, I could barely remember who I was."

"Don't you think I know that?" Dom murmured. "I didn't need you to touch me, because if you had, I probably would have lost it." Smiling, he paused. "Don't you know how damn sexy it was, Billy? Knowing that I was doing that to you? Knowing that it was my fault that you could barely remember to breathe, let alone think?" He paused again, and kissed a lazy, wet path down Billy's neck. "Knowing that every trembling muscle, every whimpering, mewling cry was because of my touch? Knowing that you were slowly unraveling and it was all my doing was so incredibly arousing. I've never had that kind of power over another person in my life. Ever."

"It's been a long time since anyone has ever had that sort of control over me," Billy whispered, cupping Dom's head and pulling their bodies into closer alignment.

"I never asked for it, Billy," Dom whispered against his ear. "But I'll be damned if I can ignore it."

"I know you didn't, Honey," Billy murmured, a shiver running down his spine as Dom's breathy voice washed over his skin.

"Can you tell me who he was, Billy?" Dom inquired softly.

"Who who was?" Billy asked, stiffening in Dom's arms.

"The bastard who hurt you," Dom replied in a soft whisper. "The one that didn't know what he had."

"He knew what he had." Shrugging, Billy rolled off of Dom's warm body and stretched out on his back on the bedroll beside him, his deep green eyes looking to the smattering of brilliant white stars that were starting to sparkle in the indigo sky.

"Then why doesn't he still have you?" Dom leaned up onto his elbow, carefully watching Billy.

"I'm not the prize you think I am, Dom," Billy replied with a heavy sigh, turning his head away from Dom. "You're so idealistic and innocent and loving. You don't really know me. I'm not worthy of you, or your love. Marton saw that, and he did what he had to do."

"Tell me, Billy?" Dom requested softly. "Please, Billy. Help me understand why I can't stay here."

"Isn't it good enough that I know you can't stay?" Billy asked, turning anguished eyes on Dom.

"No," Dom stated emphatically. "I need to know, Bill." Reaching out, Dom trailed long fingers down Billy's face. "I love you desperately, Billy. Completely. With my entire being. I don't know any other way to tell you, or show you. I. Need. You." Dom pauses when his voice cracks. "I need you to explain why you're breaking my heart, Billy." Closing his eyes, Dom drew a deep, shuddering breath. "I'm not trying to make you feel guilty, and I'm not trying to manipulate you. I just need to know. I need to know for me. I need to know to justify the hurt, Billy. Please?"

"I don't know if I can, Honey," Billy murmured. "It's been so long since I've spoken to anyone about him."

"Then don't talk to me, Billy." Dom stretched out on his back on the bedroll, close enough to feel the heat of Billy's body, but not touching him in any way. "Just talk. I'll just be here to listen," Dom murmured. "Please, Billy. I deserve to know why you're breaking my heart, you know that."

Billy was silent for long minutes, and Dom was beginning to think that he had drifted off to sleep and their conversation was over, when Billy suddenly began to speak. "His name was Marton. He was handsome, a college professor. I loved him so much. I used to look at him the way you look at me." Billy spoke softly, his hand sliding across the surface of the bedroll to find Dom's hand, and he laced their fingers together.

"He said he loved me, and acted like he did. He made all the right moves; met my brothers. He treated me like I was the most precious thing in the world to him. I was fresh out of high school, in my second year of a degree. I loved life. I was happy."

Dom turned his head to look at Billy as he spoke, and almost rolled toward him, aching to press his free hand to Billy's lips to tell him to stop as he watched tears trickle silently across Billy's cheeks.

"I thought I was happy, but it was all a lie." Shifting on the bedroll, Billy shrugged. "I wasn't good enough, and I never will be, for anybody. Eventually, we all want the same things. A home, a family. I can never give that to anyone. Never." Billy paused as his breath caught on the sob trapped in his throat. "Marton did what he had to do."

Dom had to bite the tip of his tongue to stop his aggravated outburst. There was always an alternative. Yes, regular procreation wouldn't be a viable option, but the world was full of tiny lives waiting to be loved. That wasn't a reason, it was an excuse.

"I came home from a lecture one day and found him," Billy said and then paused, drawing a deep, shuddering breath. "I found him in bed with a woman. Gorgeous, tall, blonde and willowy. None of it was her fault, really, and she seemed truly upset at what was happening. He was fucking her, didn't even stop when he saw me there."

Tears trickled from Dom's eyes at the intense pain he heard in Billy's voice, and Dom realized that his Billy had been raped just as he had, and the fact that Billy hadn't been physically harmed was immaterial. The bastard that Billy had loved had raped his young lover emotionally and mentally. There was no need to touch Billy physically, because Marton had destroyed a beautiful, trusting heart with his cruelty.

"He looked up and saw me, and he didn't even stop. As he was speaking, he never even hesitated, he just kept going. He told me he'd moved my belongings into storage. The key was on the hall table. He told me not to come back, that his future wife was pregnant with their first child and she'd be living there with him from now on." Billy paused because his voice was cracking badly, and Dom's heart nearly broke at the pain Billy's revelations were causing him. "I loved him so much…..so, so much, and all I was…I was just a fuck to him. That's all."

"I left that day. I never took the key. I never went back. I never even went home. I wandered around for a while. Had a motorbike then. I rode for what seemed like days, until I saw an advertisement looking for people to join the army. I was angry and hurt, and couldn't bear to go home and hear the 'I told you so's.' David knew, because he'd been telling me from the start that Marton was using me, but I wouldn't listen. I couldn't. I loved him. I couldn't see another choice. I enlisted that day."

Unable to hold his tongue any longer, Dom turned and wrapped his long arm around Billy's chest, pulling him closer. Billy flinched at Dom's touch, but then relaxed into his embrace. "He's a fucking asshole. He didn't deserve you. Fuck!" Dom struggled to pull his anger back under control. "He didn't deserve the air he was breathing. He was a fucking waste of space, Billy." Dom's fingers gently traced Billy's face, every touch conveying his love. "How dare he do that to you?" Dom growled, his rage expelled in his words, his calm, gentle touch, soothing Billy softly.

"No," Billy murmured. "It wasn't his fault at all. He was just following his instincts. He wanted kids, his own kids. I can't blame him for that. I'll never be able to give anyone that," he added quietly, then turned his damp eyes to Dom's. "I'll never be able to give you that. That's why, Honey." Swallowing hard, Billy lifted trembling fingers to trace Dom's cheek. "I couldn't bear to hurt you like that, or lose your love because I can't give you a family. To come home one day and find that you don't want me anymore would break me beyond repair, Honey," he whispered. "I couldn't bear to hurt you that way or make you hate me," Billy finished, tucking his head against Dom's chest. "Please understand."

"Billy, it wasn't…it isn't you," Dom protested softly. "It was him." Dom's hands softly caressed Billy's bare back.

"No." Billy shook his head. "I couldn't give him what he needed."

"Bullshit," Dom spat heatedly. His heart broke for the strong, caring man in his arms. The gentle, loving nature was so much a part of Billy that he couldn't see that his bastard ex-lover had used that against him, so well that Billy believed he could never keep a lover because of his inability to give them what they needed. "Yes, technically what you say is true., Dom said, his tone softer now. "Everyone eventually thinks about their own mortality. Everybody thinks about having a family of their own. I'd be lying if I said I hadn't."

Billy's breath caught at Dom's words, realizing that his own deepest fears were coming to fruition. Dom would leave him. Feeling Billy tense in his embrace, Dom hooked a long finger under his chin and turned Billy's face towards his own to look into the sad green orbs. "But I love you. If it was that important to me, I would find a way to have them with you. Yes, I may be disappointed that the child wouldn't be of our blood, but not because I desperately need genetic continuance. It would only be because he or she wouldn't have your beautiful green eyes, or your handsome ginger curls." Drawing his long fingers through Billy's mussed hair, Dom tousled it further as he spoke carefully. "But Billy, there are millions of little ones in the world with no parents. We would find a way to make a family if it was that important to the both of us."

"You only think you'd give up that dream, Dom. Eventually you'd want one of your own," Billy insisted with a sigh.

"Don't presume to know my mind just because of that asshole, Billy," Dom replied quickly, unable to hide the anger in his voice. "I love you. You. You are my dream." Pausing, Dom sighed deeply. "If it was me, and we did adopt? That child would be my blood from the minute I first held it. Scientific proof wouldn't matter to me, Billy." Moving closer, Dom laid a hand over Billy's pounding heart. "Emotionally, that baby would be all ours, and I couldn't, wouldn't love it any other way than with all my heart, and totally as our own flesh and blood."

"You can't mean that, Dommie. You need a child of your own. You'd make the perfect daddy," Billy murmured, his fingers tracing around Dom's nipple as he pressed his face against Dom's smooth chest.

"I might make a good daddy, but you, my love, you would be perfect. You're so gentle and caring, loving and patient, Dom insisted tenderly. "You'd let your baby stand alone, but you would guard it like a fierce mama cat. God help prospective suitors, you'll be scarier than the threat of a shotgun."

"You'd be scarier with the shotgun then me," Billy replied with a chuckle. "I've seen it, remember?" Billy smiled against Dom's chest as he spoke. "How many would you want?"

"Kids?" Dom inquired, and then shrugged. "I hadn't really thought about it that much. A boy and a girl, I guess, but if I could afford, to I'd love to adopt more, from troubled countries. Kid's that don't really have a chance. I'd love to be able to give them what they truly deserve."

"To have you for a daddy would be all any of them would ever need, Dommie," Billy added wistfully.

"What about you?" Dom carded his fingers gently through Billy's hair, eyes closed as he absorbed the sensation of Billy's breath against his bare nipple.

"Never even considered it. Until you, I hadn't wanted anything remotely resembling a relationship. A girl, I guess. A sweet little princess who knows how to look after herself, but would still have me wrapped around her little finger. And maybe a brother for her to protect her when I can't….or her other daddy."

"Billy, " Dom whispered, an image filling his head of Billy carrying a delicate little girl, fixing her lopsided pigtails, soothing a graze on her knee with a kiss, and crooning whispered words. "You have to." Rolling Billy onto his back, Dom's hands frame his face, and Dom's tear filled eyes search Billy's intently. "I know it's a moot point for us, because you don't want me here, but you must Bills, with the person you're going to spend your life with. You have to have children. You have so much to give a tiny life, so much that they deserve….that you deserve."

"I do want you here, Honey. That's the problem," Billy said with a sigh, his own fingers twisting in Dom's hair. "I can't…." Regretfully, he shook his head. "I don't want to talk about this anymore, Dom…. Please?"

"You can't run away from this, Billy," Dom warned, their eyes never breaking contact.

"I'm not," Billy answered firmly.

"Horseshit," Dom cursed gently, his lips twisting into a soft grin as he felt Billy's hands slipping down his naked sides. "Distracting me isn't an option."

"But it will be fun," Billy said, smiling vaguely.

"Until after you've shagged me senseless and you're all sated and lethargic, and I remember what you've distracted me from and start talking again," Dom retorted dryly. "Then you'll be just as dark and cranky and wanting to run again. Can't we just do this now and be done with it, then… you never know…..you might be able to keep my mouth occupied in more pleasurable pursuits."

Billy watched Dom's wide, innocent eyes, carefully trying to decide if Dom realized what he had just offered.

"I know." Dom nodded his head slowly, knowing full well what he has just suggested.

"That's a steep price for a chat with a broken down cowboy," Billy finally replied.

"Depends on the cowboy," Dom says, shrugging noncommittally. "And maybe he'll feed me first, because it's a rough gig being the sex object for a horny cowboy." Pressing the back of one hand against his forehead in a playful gesture, Dom finishes by adding, "But someone's gotta do it."

"I…." Billy almost bites the tip off his tongue in his haste to halt the words that are attempting to tumble from his mouth.

"You what?" Dom frowned as he watched Billy tense beneath him, the playful banter between them coming to a screeching halt.

"Nothing," Billy said quietly, pushing Dom off him and rolling onto his side, his back to his lover.

With a deep sigh, Dom settled onto his own back, arm thrown across his forehead as he spoke.

"You know, Billy, I'm not going to expect forever from you if you say you love me." Pursing his lips in thought, Dom pauses for a moment. "I know the big picture, remember? Better than you would ever expect." At the continued silence from his companion, Dom continued. "I already know that you love me, you don't have to say it. It's written over your every action, Billy. It would be nice, just once." Voice cracking with emotion, Dom swallows hard. "Just once, to actually hear it."

Silent tears trickled down Billy's cheeks, his eyes squeezed shut tightly. How did Dom do this to him? How did Billy do it to himself? In the space of minutes, Billy's managed to filter through every emotion that was within him to feel. Lust, anger, sorrow, fear, love, desolation, hope and back to fear again, Billy wasn't sure how he would ever survive the roller coaster ride this summer has been for him. Didn't Dom realize that if Billy were to tell him once, he wouldn't be able to stop telling Dom, and he sure as hell wouldn't be able to let Dom go at end of summer? No, to utter those words to his Honey would certainly derail Billy's carriage and destroy the very foundations of the roller coaster.

"I can't, Dommie," he whispered. "Showing is so different from saying. I'm sorry. I just can't."

Dom sighed sadly as he listened to Billy struggle to explain to him, and rolling onto his side, Dom wrapped himself around Billy firmly, letting Billy know with his actions that everything between them was okay. Billy had given Dom so much, taught him so much, loved him so much, with every single action, since their very first meeting, that Dom couldn't expect Billy, wouldn't expect Billy to break himself just to make Dom complete.

"Thank you," Billy whispered, lifting one of Dom's slender hands to his lips, kissing Dom's knuckles gently.

"None needed," Dom murmured. "We both know I can say it for both of us," he whispered against Billy's ear. "I love you, and I know you love me. Knowing why you can't say it helps more than you could ever know, Billy." Tightening his hold on his lover, Dom draws in a deep breath before continuing. "In two weeks time, I'll leave here with remorse, but without demand. Until then, I want nothing more than to show you how much I do love you. If that means we never mention this discussion again, okay, but I'm telling you right now, it doesn't change one thing about the way I feel about you. I love you, and that is not going to change, now, in ten years or in twenty. Regardless of what that asshole told you."

"We'll see, Dommie," Billy whispered sadly, leaning his head back so Dom could press his lips deeper into the curve of his neck, his breath wuffling Billy's gently curling hair.

"We will, Billy," Dom replied with a smile. "What do I get if I'm right?" he asks, his free hand trailing down Billy's torso, coming to rest low on his stomach, fingers brushing against the tightly curled hair at the apex of Billy's thighs.

"Satisfaction?" Billy quirked an eyebrow as he turned his head, trying to catch Dom's lips with his own.

"Already got it," Dom said with a smile. "You'll have to do better than that."

"The words," Billy murmured as he pushed his lips against Dom's, his pointy tongue sliding between Dom's open lips.

[Chapter 23](http://community.livejournal.com/monaboyd/1640889.html)

  



	26. Western Lovers: Cowboys and Archaeologists 23/30

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Billy is a man to be reckoned with. Can Dom heal his wounded soul and his own into the bargain. Could Billy make him forget the bitter lessons of the past?

_**FIC: Western Lovers: Cowboys & Archaeologists 23/30**_  
  


[](http://photobucket.com)

  
 **Title:** Western Lovers: Cowboys and Archaeologists 23/30  
 **Author:** [](http://sassywitch.livejournal.com/profile)[**sassywitch**](http://sassywitch.livejournal.com/)  
 **Pairing:** BB/DM with a smattering of VM/LT and DW/OB  
 **Rating:** NC-17, to be on the safe side.  
 **Summary:** Billy is a man to be reckoned with. Can Dom heal his wounded soul and his own into the bargain. Could Billy make him forget the bitter lessons of the past?  
 **Feedback:** Feedback is my writers crack, which is not to be confused at all with plumbers crack.  
 **Disclaimer:** Not at all true in reality. These men whilst adorable and perfectly happy to slash themselves, their actual relationship is something that they only know. This story is adapted from a series of books that I adored when I was younger written by Elizabeth Lowell.  
 **Word Count:** 4926  
 **Header Art:** Courtesy of the incredibly talented [](http://loki-girl.livejournal.com/profile)[**loki_girl**](http://loki-girl.livejournal.com/)  
 **Previous Chapters:** can be found [Here](http://www.livejournal.com/tools/memories.bml?user=sassywitch&keyword=Western+Lovers&filter=all)  
 **A/N:** A huge thank you to [](http://dylan-dufresne.livejournal.com/profile)[**dylan_dufresne**](http://dylan-dufresne.livejournal.com/) for the inspiration, the prodding and the beta. She really deserves far more credit than just beta. This fic wouldn't be what it is without her labour of love. My grammar sucks really, really badly so she had to suffer it so nobody else would. Next Chapter on Wednesday.

~*~*~*~*~*~ 

Dom carefully placed the cardboard box of shards he'd been carrying on the long wooden bench. Pulling the out the discarded t-shirt that he'd tucked into the back of his cut off denim shorts, Dom brushed the dusty sweat from his face and tossed the shirt onto his pack where it lay beside the bedroll.

Casting his eyes around camp, Dom quickly took stock of his surroundings. Nothing appeared to have moved, and there was no sign of Billy having returned already. In fact, Billy's towel was still hanging across the fly wire that secured the tarpaulin that covered their work area.

A frown furrowed Dom's brow as he recalled the last time he had seen Billy today. Their daily routine had started the same as any other day. They wake early, one kissing the other awake, and spend the time as the sky fades from it's deep, velvety darkness, and make slow, sweet, sleepy love.

As the sun crested the ridges behind their camp site, they would untangle their sated limbs and ease into the day. Dom would prepare breakfast as Billy brewed coffee and straightened the campsite. After eating, they would pack enough food for lunch, loop their packs over their shoulders and set off toward the dig site, fingers laced together. Once they arrived at their destination, there they would divide up; Dom would set up to sketch, and Billy would carefully fossick around in the debris, scouring for shards and examples of Anasazi history.

Usually, Billy would return at least every hour, commenting on sketches or bringing back pieces of shattered pottery he'd found on the edges of the wash, or just coming back to press a tender kiss to the base of Dom's damp neck or on his soft, upturned lips. They almost always shared a packed lunch in the shade of an overhang, eagerly followed by a desert of sweet, passionate kisses. But today was one of the rare occasions that Billy hadn't been back for lunch. Dom had sat and eaten in the shade, his eyes traveling up and down the ravine, anxiously watching for Billy. He had stood several times, ready to set off to find Billy and surprise him with kisses but had instead sat again. If Billy had wanted to share lunch with Dom, he would have been there. Last night, Billy's emotions had been rubbed raw by his disclosures, and perhaps he just needed some time alone.

Dom sank down onto the edge of the wooden bench he generally sat on to sort shards, teeth worrying his bottom lip. It wasn't like Billy to leave him alone like this, even before they started 'riding double' as Billy so quaintly put it. From the beginning, Billy would surreptitiously check on Dom hourly, confirming that Dom was safe and then returning to whatever it was that he did while he was quietly offering Dom peace of mind. Glancing up at the yellow ball of the harsh sun that was sinking rapidly behind the cliffs, Dom made his decision.

Pulling a t-shirt over his head, Dom slipped a flashlight into his knapsack and set off in the direction of the dig again. Before he'd made it halfway across the pass, he turned and sprinted back, tucking the first aid kit into his pack, all the while praying that he was just being a worrier. Reaching the dig as the sky began to blacken, Dom moved quickly in the direction that Billy had disappeared to when he had left Dom this morning.

"Billy?" he called as he walked, his eyes scanning the creamy sandstone for any sign of his lover. "Baby, answer me."

Pulling his binoculars out of his pocket he stood still, his heart pounding in his chest, breath heaving, trying to calm himself as he examined the gorge.

"Where are you, Billy?" Dom muttered to himself, as he pocketed the field glasses and kept walking. Rounding a bend in the gorge, he took out the binoculars and scanned the distance again. Frowning as he shoved the glasses back into his pocket, he walked further into the blind ravine, moved a little faster as the shadows began to settle around him.

Seeing a glint of unnatural color, the last slivers of daylight glinting off something in the distance, Dom didn't hesitate as he rushed along the bottom of the gorge, scrambling up the loose walls as he climbed higher. As he grew nearer, Dom immediately understood what he had seen, and redoubled his attempts to get closer. The weak sunlight was reflected off what was probably Billy's broad, shiny watch face, and the flash of color Dom had witnessed was the dark denim that covered Billy's legs.

Nervous tears filled Dom's eyes as he scrabbled across the loose rocks, struggling to get to Billy, his lips endlessly mumbling almost incoherently as he prayed to whatever God's would listen to him not to steal his Billy away.

"I'm coming, Billy," Dom called as he rushed, eyes clouded with worried tears. His climbing was more instinctual than graceful, and for every scrambled five feet, Dom would slide back one, his fingertips bleeding from where he'd grabbed at the jagged edges of sandstone.

As he eventually arrived at Billy's side, Dom tentatively reached out and brushed one hand over Billy's ankle. Long fingers closed around the extended limb, Dom almost scared to touch Billy, for fear of hurting him, or discovering something he did not really want to know, but at the same time, Dom knew he couldn't not touch him.

Crawling along Billy's side, Dom leaned over him, unable to immediately cease the sobbing gasp that was ripped from his throat as his eyes registered Billy's appearance. A jagged gash, no longer than an inch or two adorned Billy's head, just inside his hairline, and a steady stream of blood had flowed across his face to pool in a congealed puddle under his pale face.

"Billy?" Dom whispered, his fingertips softly caressing the pale skin of Billy's cheek.

Almost on autopilot, Dom sat back and drew a deep breath before allowing his fingers to trail across Billy's eerily still body, gently probing every square inch of skin, carefully checking for further injuries. Finding none, Dom leaned over Billy, and utilizing his own chest to support Billy's body, he rolled the older man backwards. With his own, outspread legs framing Billy's, Dom's torso held Billy's weight as Dom's arms wrapped around him firmly, and pulled Billy against him snugly. Dom's elegant fingers trailed across the pale skin of Billy's face before probing the jagged gash as he attempted to comfort Billy with incoherent, whispered words.

After his examination and tenderly cradling Billy's head against his wildly beating heart, Dom's fingers smoothed Billy's ginger hair back, drawing his own comfort from Billy's proximity. Glancing at the sunlight that was hastily diminishing, Dom eased his hold on Billy.

"Baby, you've got to wake up.' Shrugging one arm out of his backpack and extracting his water canister, Dom flipped open the pop top lid, and he pressed it against Billy's slack mouth, pouring a small amount of water across his dry lips. Leaning in, Dom's mouth was inches from Billy's ear as he tenderly murmured, "C'mon, Billy. I can't get you back to camp without your help."

"Dom…"

Billy's brow furrowed tightly and his head rocked from side to side, the spontaneous movement eliciting a strangled scream of pain from his parched lips.

"Hold still, baby." Dom's fingers stroked Billy's scalp, offering comfort to him. "It's alright. Just hold still, you're going to be fine."

"You 'kay?" Billy asked on a sigh, his eyes fluttered open and then closed again. "Not hurt?"

"I wasn't here, Bills," Dom whispered, watching Billy struggle with his pain. "Can you remember what happened?"

"Big rock," Billy murmured, one small hand lifting to awkwardly brush his fingers over his forehead.

"There's lots of big rocks sweetheart," Dom replied gently, a smile tugging at the corners of his lips. "What did it do to you?"

"Fecking jumped out and hit me," Billy ground out as he attempted to sit up in Dom's arms, only to have them tighten around him and firmly pull him back against Dom's hard chest.

"Deliberately waited for you and all, I bet," Dom murmured as he all but giggled in his relief.

"Let me up," Billy argued as he relaxed into Dom's embrace, sighing gently as he settled his head into the curve of Dom's shoulder.

"Not a chance, big boy." Dom's voice was filled with determination. "I've got to look at that cut."

"'s fine," Billy muttered, pushing up against Dom's hold once again. "'s dark," he moaned as he fought to pull away. "Need." Billy pressed his fingers against his forehead as if trying to hold his head together. "Need you safe. Need camp."

"Sweetheart, just this once, let me be the strong one," Dom requested softly, gently batting Billy's hands away and drawing their bodies close. "I'm safe so long as I'm with you," he vowed to Billy. "Will you let me keep you safe?"

"In camp." Billy nodded, his eyes squeezed closed against the nauseous pain at his head movement.

"No, Bills," Dom countered. "Here."

"No," Billy ground out. "Camp." Again, he pulled against Dom's hold, and struggled to sit up on his own.

"You can't even fucking sit up on your own, Bills," Dom said with a sigh, eventually releasing his hold on Billy and watching Billy struggle to remain upright and hold on to his breakfast.

Quietly, Dom rose to stand, one leg bracing his weight on the uneven slope as he looked down at Billy.

"You're a stubborn bastard," Dom sighed, squatting down in front of Billy and tracing his face with his long fingers. "How are we going to do this?"

"What happened?" Billy's hand closed around Dom's, his eyes narrowing, trying desperately to focus on the blood encrusted there.

"Nothing important," Dom replied quietly. "Billy, it's getting dark, and I'm worried about you. How are we going to get you back to camp?"

"I'm fine," Billy moaned. "Had worse hurts before," he added and then shrugged. "Help me up?"

"And when you're up?" Dom asked, one eyebrow quirked with a grin. "How long do you think you're going to stay up?"

"Long 'nuff," Billy answered stiffly.

Dom stood and extended both hands to Billy, who took them willingly, Dom taking as much of his weight as he could while Billy struggled to stand.

"This is a good idea, isn't it?" Dom asked quietly, his voice thick with concerned sarcasm.

"Have to," Billy said tightly, forcing the words from between pinched lips. "No choice." Swaying ominously, Billy's eyes closed as he struggled against the blinding pain.

"Let me carry you, Bills." Dom watched Billy struggle with tears in his eyes. "Let me do this for you."

"Too heavy," Billy ground out, his teeth gritted in pain. Eyes tightly closed as he fought against the pain, then slowly opened them, Billy toed his way down the steep incline, clinging to Dom's hands and wrists. "Can. Do. This."

"Bullshit." Dom wrapped his hands along Billy's forearms, twisting his head to watch where they were going as they traveled lower, towards the base of the gorge.

They struggled down the steep incline, slipping more than walking. As soon as they reached the bottom, Dom paused, pulling Billy against him, knowing how badly he must be hurting, just by the way he melted against Dom's body.

"We're going to do this my way, Bills," Dom stated, the determination like steel in his voice. "Or not at all."

"Can. Do. This," Billy ground out, his face pressed firmly into the curve of Dom's neck.

"I know, but you don't have to do it alone. Not anymore. I'm here now. We're a team. Lean on me, for just a little bit, Billy," Dom almost pleaded.

"How?" Billy whimpered into Dom's skin.

"You're going to put my pack on, Bills," Dom explained. "And then you're going to climb onto my back." Pressing a hand to Billy's lips, Dom prevented Billy from negating his plan. "You are, and we're going to do this. This way you'll have somewhere to rest your head when the pain is too bad."

Moving carefully, Dom slipped his arms out of the pack and gently helped Billy put it on. Turning to stand in front of Billy with his back to him, Dom crouched a little.

"Loop your arms around my neck, Bills," Dom said softly, reaching back to take Billy's hands and guiding them into the correct position. "C'mon, sweetheart. I need you to lean forward." Bending his knees, Dom moved to maneuover Billy onto his back, and slid his hands down the outside of Billy's thighs, carefully pulling the injured man against his body and taking his weight. Lifting Billy's legs, Dom shifted carefully until Billy was comfortably settled on his back, then started to walk. Picking his way slowly across the rough ground, Dom tried to take the smoothest route he could find.

  
Billy had been drifting in and out of consciousness, almost since Dom had placed him on his back at the base of the gorge. Unable to spare the energy to talk as he painstakingly made their way back to camp, Dom's thoughts of Billy's injuries amplified in his head, and hated every step that jostled Billy, hearing the soft whimpers he couldn't quite suppress.

It was completely dark by the time they made it back to camp, and Billy clung to Dom's back, barely conscious. At the campsite, Dom squatted down beside their bedroll, carefully dislodging Billy from his precarious position, and onto the soft bedding. Supporting Billy's head as he tenderly lowered Billy to the pallet, Dom overlooked his own aches from the long walk, and quickly started a campfire, lit one of their gas lanterns, and then turned to Billy.

Now that they were in their familiar camp, Dom began a soft crooning monologue, more for his own benefit, to stop him thinking the worst, than for Billy.

"We're here, sweetheart," Dom murmured, soothing Billy's semi-conscious agitation, as even his gentle movements jarred Billy's pain back into technicolor reality.

Pressing a gentle kiss to the tip of Billy nose, Dom's fingers smoothed the tousled and blood clotted hair from Billy's face. "You can rest now. I'll take care of you."

"Dommie," Billy whispered, his hands rising to press against the sides of his head, his eyes clenched shut with pain. "Need you."

"I know, baby. I'm here."

Dom eased Billy's hands away from his head, then turned his attention to Billy's feet. Sliding Billy's boots off, the socks quickly followed. Dom's hands moved to Billy's button fly, opening it quickly, almost clinically, before sliding the jeans over Billy's hips and tossing the denim in a heap beside the bedroll. Pressing a feathery kiss to Billy's cheek, Dom lifted him a little, holding the injured cowboy tenderly against his body to slip Billy's arms from the sleeves of his bloodstained shirt.

"You realize, if you hadn't gone and hurt yourself, this could all be having quite a different outcome, sweetheart. You'd be getting so lucky," Dom crooned, smiling nervously as he lowered Billy gently back to the fluffy bedroll. Drawing back to look at Billy critically, Dom noted with a tight frown, deep blue and purple bruises on Billy's shoulder, chest and one even wrapping around the side of his ribs. "What happened to you, Billy?" he asked rhetorically. Rising, Dom quickly retrieved a basin of water, a clean washer and the first aid kit.

"You know, not just anyone gets a sponge bath from me," Dom continued as he lifted one of Billy's arms and washed it gently with the damp washer-as before. "And I've got to tell you, Bills, that when you wake up, I will disavow all knowledge of this ever happening. You do know that, don't you?" Dom smiled as he spoke, washing Billy's other arm before moving the cloth tenderly across Billy's chest. Moving slightly, Dom rinsed the cloth and drew it slowly and gently across Billy's throat and jaw, gazing at the large blue and purple bruise that was spreading from the gaping wound across Billy's temple. "I wish you were awake, baby.' Dom talked softly, the washcloth dabbing against the bruise, slowly inching it's way to the wound.

"I think that needs to be stitched, sweetheart, but I don't know if I can do that. Not to you." Dom sighed, his fingers tenderly rinsing away the blood that had caked onto Billy's skin as he had lain, hurt and baking in the sun. "But what really frightens me is you sleeping. It's not a good thing. I know, I know. I've taken all the courses and even had to put it into practice occasionally, but never with someone I love. It's weird, isn't it?" Dom rambled on, happily releasing the fears that his mind refused to contain. "If you were anyone else, I'd know what to do, how to do it. I'd know if you were sleeping too much, or too deeply. If something was really wrong." Dom paused, his eyes glistening. "But this is you, Billy. I'm terrified that I'm going to lose you, that you'll fall asleep, and just not wake up. That I won't get to see those gorgeous eyes open again, or feel your lips against mine. I just want to spare you some of the pain I know you're feeling, and if I wake you, it'll all come back to you. I don't want to be the one doing that."

"Not sleeping." The words left Billy's lips in little more than a breathy groan, but the sound caused Dom's head to snap up, his eyes searching Billy's grimacing face. "Shouldn't."

"You can, baby," Dom said with a nod. "I'll wake you. It'll all be okay."

"Can't," Billy gritted out, his eyes closed tightly. "You'll fret."

"Holy fuck, Billy!" Dom spoke gently, but still rather harshly. "Stop worrying about me. You're hurt. Relax, please. For me?"

"Mebbee," Billy replied, the break in his words long enough to let Dom think he had dozed off again. "Stitch it, Honey."

"I don't want to, Billy. It's gonna hurt, and I can't give you anything for the pain."

"Know." Billy paused, his fists pressing into his eyes. "Have to."

"How did this happen, Bills?" Dom asked, gentle fingers pushing Billy's damp hair away from the jagged cut. Wincing, he felt Billy's body tense even more under his ministrations. "I understand, baby. It hurts, but I have to clean it up."

"Know," Billy breathed. "Rockfall. Stupid."

"Thank goodness it wasn't worse," Dom murmured, his long fingers pulling stray strands of hair from the wound that was still oozing.

"Whiskey," Billy murmured. "In pack."

"I can't let you drink it, Billy," Dom whispered. "No matter how much I want you to have relief from pain."

"Not for me," Billy whimpered, as Dom's fingers pressed the wound together as gently as possible.

"Shit, Billy. I can't do this. I'm hurting you." Dom pulled his hands back. Rising awkwardly, Dom moved to Billy's pack and searched the pockets, pulling out a hip flask before nervously rummaging through the first aid kit to find the small kit that was included for just this reason.

Sitting back on his heels, Dom watched Billy carefully, seeing the pain induced tension in every inch of Billy's body. He had to do this. Dom's own emotions and insecurities didn't matter. Taking a deep calming breath, he moved back to Billy's side.

Laying a clean terry cloth on Billy's bare chest, Dom threaded the needle, then placed it on the clean square of material. Holding the hip flask between his knees, Dom's fingers sought out Billy's, and lacing his own trembling fingers through Billy's, Dom brought them to his lips, and kissed Billy's knuckles softly.

"Ready, sweetheart?" Dom asked, his breath warm against Billy's fingers.

"Whiskey, Dommie," Billy said slowly, his concentration focused on his words. "Clean it, then drink." The movement and noise of each word forced a new sliver of pain through his aching head. "Calm you."

Tilting Billy's head slowly to the side, Dom straddled him, settling on his knees. Moving the towel to the bedroll beside him, Dom flicked open the cap of the hip flask and took a quick slug of the burning liquid as Billy's hands lifted to rest on his thighs.

Leaning forward, Dom tilted the flask enough for a small trickle of whiskey to pour across the wound, and Billy's teeth ground tightly, a long keening moan escaping him that he wasn't able to withhold as his body arched up. Almost dislodging Dom, Billy struggled to push into the burning, stinging pain the whiskey created as it sanitized.

"I'm so sorry, Billy," Dom whispered, his eyes teary, his fingers trailing across Billy's face and chest, willing him to relax and ease himself through the pain.

"S'okay," Billy hissed through his tightly clenched teeth, his bowstring taut body sinking back against the bedroll. "Do it."

Dom poured whiskey over the needle and then leaned forward, his breath warm on Billy's face as he concentrated on the task at hand. One trembling, long-fingered hand pushed the edges of the wound together while the other carefully threaded the needle through Billy's pale skin. His heart clenching every time the needle pierced Billy's flesh, Dom flinched internally. Dom could see the strain and torment in Billy's face, the way his teeth were locked together, and the lines pressed into the skin at the corners of Billy's eyes as he grimaced in what must be near agony.

Each tiny stitch moved Dom just that little bit closer to completion, and after what seemed like hours, but was only minutes later, Dom was reaching for the first aid kit and placing a sterile dressing across the now sealed wound to protect it from the dust in the environment. Supporting Billy's neck with one hand, Dom lifted him several inches off the bedroll, quickly and efficiently wrapping a pristine white bandage around Billy's head to hold the dressing in place.

Moving off of Billy, Dom pushed all the extraneous items off the bedroll and slipped down to lay beside him. Rolling Billy carefully into his arms, Dom pulled the blanket over Billy and held the injured man snugly against his chest. Crooning soft noises against the top of Billy's head, Dom cradled him close, letting Billy try to rest and escape the pain if he could.

"Hurts," Billy mumbled against Dom's chest.

"Would you like a little bit of the whiskey, sweetheart?" Dom asked, his words whuffling through Billy's ginger hair. "I can't give you any pain killers until morning, and I'm sure you're okay, but a little bit of whiskey might take the edge off."

"I'm …good," Billy murmured brokenly. "Just hold me?"

"Forever," Dom whispered, a tender kiss pressed against the top of Billy's head.

"You make it better," Billy whispered, as he closed his eyes again. "Love you."

"I know, baby," Dom replied softly, his fingers stroking up and down Billy's spine. "I know."

The passage through the night was long and worrisome for Dom. Every thirty minutes he gently woke Billy, made Billy open his eyes and look at him. Sometimes the lack of focus and physical presence in the pain clouded eyes that looked back at him scared Dom badly, especially the first time. He had begged Billy to open his eyes and talk to him, only to have Billy crack one eye open and almost growl at him.

 _  
"Dom, 'm sleepin." Grumbling, Billy had then closed his eyes again._

 _"Billy, open them." Dom had cupped his chin and tilted Billy's head back towards him._

 _"No." Pressing his lips together, Billy had finally replied, his tone snarky and defiant._

 _"Can you tell me your name?" Dom had asked._

 _"You first," was Billy's reply._

 _"I asked first."_

 _"So?" Billy had snapped back, his eyes still closed._

 _"So, you answer first," Dom had replied matter of factly and then sighed._

 _"Don't wanna." Eyes steadfastly closed, Billy's voice was slurred as he answered petulantly._

 _"If you answer me, I'll pay you back with kisses," Dom had wheedled, growing desperate._

 _"Don't want kisses. Want pills," Billy had whimpered needily, annoyed with the pain he was being forced to suffer._

 _"Can't have pills till breakfast time, Billy." Dom sighed._

 _"Breakfast yet?" Billy had enquired as he cracked one bloodshot, pain-filled eye open. "Please?"_

 _"No, baby," Dom murmured in reply. "Please, just answer my questions and you can go back to sleep."_

 _" 'm Billy, You're my Dom, this is Arwen Canyon, and my head feckin' hurts."_

 _"I'm sorry, Billy." Dom let his fingertips trail over the tense, taut skin of Billy's scalp, massaging, lightly loosening the tension as much as he could. "I have to wake you. I need to know you're alright."_

 _" 'know. 'm sorry. Shouldn't be pissy. Not at you. Hurts so much," Billy had muttered as he burrowed into Dom's soothing touch._

 _"Sleep, sweetheart," Dom had soothed him gently, almost willing Billy back to sleep._

 __  
~*~*~*~*~*~

Every thirty minutes they had the same argument with the same answers, until just after the sky started to pinken. Sliding away from his lover, leaving him ensconced in the warm cocoon of their bedroll, Dom quietly made a light breakfast of scrambled eggs, and a mug of weak, herbal tea. Grabbing his own bottle of migraine medication from his pack, Dom moved back to Billy's side, waking him as gently as he could.

"Dom'm still sleeping," Billy muttered, blindly slapping Dom's hand away.

"You know the drill, Billy." Dom smiled at the cowboy's unusually cranky attitude.

""m Billy, you're m'Dom. M'hurt and you care," Billy answered into the bedclothes.

"Correct again." Dom smiled and slid his hand tenderly across the expanse of Billy's bare back. "I think I can trust you with pain killers," Dom decided as he leaned down to speak against Billy's tousled hair.

The hand that had been slapping shot out, palm upturned. "Gimme," Billy nearly begged.

"Food first," Dom stated firmly.

""M hurting, not hungry," Billy grumbled.

"Too bad. You need to take them with food. So, no food, no pills."

Billy rolled gingerly onto his back, one hand pressed against his forehead. "Slavedriver," he complained.

"Nother one of your kinks, Billy?" Dom quirked an eyebrow as he arranged Billy's pack behind him so he could sit up with his head supported.

Lifting the plate of scrambled eggs from the top of his own pack that he had used as a makeshift table, Dom filled a fork with a fluffy serving of eggs before presenting it to Billy.

"Open up," Dom stated authoritatively.

"I hurt my head, not my hands." Billy glared at Dom stubbornly, but opened his mouth just the same.

"Humor me," Dom replied, hiding the small grin he couldn't contain at Billy's obedience.

"I thought that was what last night was for," Billy muttered as he chewed. " 's good."

"Last night was piss my pants terrified, not humorous at all," Dom corrected him. "Thanks."

Forking another serving of eggs into Billy's mouth, Dom handed Billy a piece of toast as he fed him.

"I'm sorry," Billy said from around his mouthful of eggs. "Never saw it coming." He took a bite of his toast.

"Figured," Dom nodded. "Thought I'd lost you." Drawing in a steadying breath, Dom pushed another mouthful of egg into Billy's mouth.

"I'd never leave you like that, Dom."

"You might not be able to help it, Billy." Dom spoke calmly, almost distractedly as he pushed eggs around the plate before scooping up another forkful and guiding it into Billy's mouth.

"No," Billy said, closing one hand around Dom's slender wrist. "I would never leave you without saying goodbye first."

"All the goodbyes in the world don't matter sometimes, Billy." Dom fed him another mouthful of scrambled egg.

"And sometimes they're all you've got left, Dom," Billy replied before he bit into his toast.

"Is your head feeling better?" Dom asked, his eyes filled with tears, but he refused to look up and let Billy see them.

"Some," Billy answered, equally glad to change the subject. "At least I can think now and not have my head explode."

Dom was silent and continued to feed Billy slowly, their eyes never really meeting.

"I am sorry, Dom. I'd never do anything to hurt you," Billy murmured, attempting to comfort his lover.

"It's a moot point now, Billy," Dom said and then shrugged. "Had enough?"

"Yeah," Billy answered, reluctant to nod his head.

Dom handed him two little blue pills and the mug of herbal tea. Placing the pills on his tongue, Billy swallowed them down with a mouthful of tea before he spluttered with distaste.

"What the hell is this shite?" Billy looked into the mug suspiciously.

"Herbal tea that will help your headache." Dom grinned mischievously. "Drink it all."

"Yes, mum," Billy murmured as he obediently tilted the mug towards his lips again, drinking the less than savory liquid quickly.

"You'll sleep for a while now." Dom put the empty mug and plate aside before carefully pulling the dressing away from the neatly stitched gash.

"I can't," Billy said with a frown. "I need to go with you, make sure you're safe."

Dom quirked his eyebrow at Billy, "Because that plan worked so well yesterday, didn't it? I think we've proven that I can look after myself."

"Dommie," Billy protested, but his eyes were already drooping, his mental processes slowing.

"I promise, Billy. I won't leave camp. We'll both be safe here. Okay?" Sliding the pack from behind Billy and guiding him back down against the bedding, Dom gently cupped Billy's scruff cheek for a few moments. "Just sleep, and it'll all be better when you wake up."

"Promise?" Billy grabbed at Dom's hand and pulled it towards his mouth, kissing Dom's knuckles gently. "Need to know you're safe."

"I'll just tidy up a little bit, and then snuggle up with you. Someone kept me up all night."

"And not in a good way either," Billy commented before he yawned, his eyes drifting closed.

"Well, now I know you're feeling better." Dom smiled, then leaned down to press a soft kiss to Billy's forehead.

"You're in so much trouble when I wake up," Billy murmured dreamily. "Come to bed naked. It'll save us time later."

"Not until I know you're better, Billy." Dom grinned, pressing a lingering kiss against Billy's lips. "You've had a head injury."

"Mmmm," Billy slurred. "Didn't hurt anything vital. Still all works."

"Go to sleep, Romeo." Dom almost laughed, his fingers gently stroking Billy's hair, watching as the painkillers took complete hold, and muscles that had been tense with pain finally relaxed against the bedroll.

Laying beside Billy, watching him sleep, Dom's fingers reached out to stroke Billy's forehead and the nasty bruise that was radiating out from under the bandage. Yawning widely, Dom realized just how tired he was. Rising to his feet slowly, Dom tidied the remnants of last night's first aid adventures, then washed Billy's breakfast dishes and tidied their kitchen area. Arranging the fly sheet that protected their bedding from the elements, Dom then slipped off his jeans and the bloodstained shirt he had forgotten to change out of, and stretched out, clad only in boxers, onto the bed roll beside Billy.

Tension of the last twelve hours slowly left Dom as he relaxed next to Billy, and he turned his head to watch as Billy slept beside him, checking Billy's breathing, noting the healthy color returning to his cheeks, content just to watch his lover sleep. Billy seemed to realize Dom was there, and one hand slid across the bedding to brush across Dom's own hand before he rolled into his lover. Wrapping his arm around Dom's waist, Billy pressed the uninjured side of his face into Dom's chest as his leg wrapped across Dom's thighs. Dom couldn't help but smile at the contented sigh that left Billy's lips as he slid back into his deep, healing sleep. Rolling slightly into Billy's embrace, Dom rested his head against the top of Billy's, his arm wrapped snugly around Billy's waist as he struggled to stay awake. Eyes wearily dropping closed as he pressed a gentle kiss to Billy's hair, Dom's long fingers absently smoothed along the length of Billy's spine, and then he was fast asleep.

~*~*~*~*~

Gazing down at the sleeping man in his arms, Billy noticed that Dom appeared to be exhausted. Dark shadows framed Dom's long lashes as they brushed against his cheeks, and his skin was pale under the golden tan he'd gained over the summer

Billy couldn't help but feel a little guilty, but by the same token, he was beyond proud of his sweet, innocent lover. Though he couldn't clearly recall everything that happened, through the clouds of pain that constituted his memories of the last day, Billy clearly remembered Dom's soul-eating fear, and the calm, gentle authority that had overridden his every action.

While his head still throbbed, the dull, nagging pain a godsend to Billy,compared to the blinding, white hot agony it had been. Dom had been his angel, and always would be, but over the last twenty-four hours, Dom had been his tether to life and lucidity. One of Billy's hands traced along Dom's cheek gently, his thumb brushing across Dom's soft lips, barely even aware he was moving.

"You know, you could kiss me," Dom murmured without opening his eyes.

"You need your sleep," Billy replied, his fingers tracing across Dom's eyelids.

"I need my lover," Dom corrected.

"You're exhausted," Billy whispered as he moved his face closer to Dom's mouth, his breath warm on Dom's parted lips.

"Slept all day," Dom answered, his hand trailing across Billy's shoulders to cup and support his neck as he guided Billy's face towards his own.

"That makes it all better then?" Billy murmured as he pressed his lips against Dom's, unable to resist the invitation.

"No," Dom mumbled, pressing his face closer to Billy's. "But a kiss would go a long way to fixing the world."

"What about just you?" Billy asked. "What does it take to fix just you?"

“You," Dom answered without hesitation, his eyes still closed as his mouth sought Billy's.

"Surely not," Billy murmured, pulling his mouth back, evading Dom's as he watched lines of disappointment furrow his brow.

"Billy?" Dom's voice was little more than a mewling whisper.

"Yes, Honey?" Billy asked softly as he pressed his thumb against Dom's forehead, smoothing the frown lines.

"Shut up and kiss me."

"I think I should let you sleep," Billy replied, his thumb sliding across the shadowed circles on Dom's cheekbones.

"So says the randy bastard who told me to sleep naked so we could save time."

"Can't have been me, I'm injured," Billy murmured, pressing feathery kisses to the soft, golden skin of Dom's neck and face, but never letting their lips meet.

"Fuck me, Billy," Dom sighed in frustration as his head tilted back to give Billy greater access. "Please. Don't tease."

"Not teasing." Billy licked the skin that was suddenly unrestricted to him. "Tasting," he whispered, his breath hot against the damp skin. "And that comes later anyway."

"What?" Dom's brow furrowed, his concentration focused on the feel of Billy's lips against his skin, and the deep, rumbling brogue of Billy's voice in his ear, more than the actual words.

"Fucking you," Billy breathed against Dom's lips, his pointy tongue flicking out to lick across them. "Much later."

"Not that much later," Dom whimpered, struggling not to surge forward and capture Billy's teasing lips with his own.

"Mmmm," Billy murmured. "I'm injured, remember?" He smiled as he watched Dom's eyes flicker open, concern coloring the burning passion in the glittering blue depths. "I'll need to take things slowly."

"Like Hell," Dom whispered, lifting both hands to cradle Billy's head, his thumbs brushing Billy's jaw line. Rolling them over, Dom's hips fell into the space between Billy's thighs, his elbows taking his weight as he looked into Billy's emerald gaze. "You relax. Let me look after you."

"There's an offer I can't refuse," Billy moaned as Dom's mouth roamed across his stubbly skin.

"Besides, this way I might actually get a kiss." Dom grinned against Billy's neck.

"If all you wanted was a kiss, Honey, all you had to do was ask," Billy groaned as Dom strung wet, nipping kisses across the curve of his shoulder and along his neck.

"I believe I did, sweetheart," Dom murmured, his teeth catching Billy's earlobe and tugging gently. Hands still holding Billy's head in his long fingered hands, the tips of Dom's fingers gently massaged the taut skin of Billy's scalp.

"Seems you've forgotten what you wanted," Billy sighed, his fingers trailing up and down Dom's golden back.

"Not me." Dom shook his head, his tousled blonde hair fanning across Billy's skin as he did. "I'm just taking it slow for the invalid. Wouldn't want to inhibit your recovery, now would I?'

"Fuck my recovery, Dommie. Kiss me? Please?" Billy whimpered as Dom's teeth closed over his nipple, his tongue flicking across it wetly.

"Don't think so, Billy," Dom murmured. "Would rather fuck you." He grinned, but when he looked up into Billy's face, his expression was serious. "And that's not happening today either."

"What?" Billy almost screeched. "Why? Dommie, please. You can't. Please, Honey. You know we both want to."

"You're hurt." Dom shrugged, closing his lips over Billy's chin and suckling gently. "If you survive tonight in one piece, tomorrow I'll shag you through the bedroll and back again, but tonight…." He shook his head.

"But-" Billy wailed in protest, his hips thrusting upwards to rub his full erection against Dom. "Please Dommie," he whimpered. "I'm so hard. I want you. Please?"

"I wouldn't leave you high and dry, sweetheart." Dom grinned against Billy's neck, grinding his hips into Billy's urgent erection. "But no strenuous activity."

"Not strenuous if you ride, Dommie mine," Billy moaned as he bent his legs, increasing the friction against his arousal. "Please, Honey. Ride me?"

"Bribery won't get you anywhere." Dom ground back, his buttocks rubbing against Billy's boxer clad length a little roughly. "You know-" he gasped as his own arousal rubbed against Billy's belly. "You know you can't be still while we make love," Dom moaned, rocking against Billy rhythmically.

"You know you want to, Dommie," Billy spoke, his voice low and rumbling, filled with seductive promises. "You know you want me deep inside you," he murmured. "Filling you ," Billy groaned as his hips bucked forward at the thought of his own words.

"Billy," Dom gasped into his neck, nipping gently as he ground into Billy. Thrusting forward, Dom's own leaking erection rubbed against Billy's taut belly. "Stop," he moaned.

"You first," Billy whimpered.

"Can't," Dom moaned again. "Can't." Body rocking against Billy's, Dom's hips moved more frantically with every grinding thrust.

"Dommie, please," Billy almost sobbed with longing. "Need to, want to, Dommie." His voice broke wantonly as Dom reached behind him, releasing Billy's throbbing erection from the fly of his boxer shorts, fingertips tracing his length tenderly before moving back to continue their support of Billy's head.

Billy's fingers traced up and down Dom's back before settling on his waist, gripping tightly, pushing insistently as Dom ground into him. Back arching with every downward thrust, Billy's hand slipped from Dom's waist to rub across the damp, tented front of Dom's boxers, quivering fingers struggling to release Dom from the material.

Dom pushed Billy's hand away, his mouth closing over one taut nipple, his teeth tugging on it as he lifted his hips off Billy's body. Reaching between them, Dom closed his long fingers around their leaking erections, gasping at the pressure of his fingers on their heated flesh.

"So good, Dommie." Billy arched into the touch, desperately seeking something just outside his reach.

Dom leaned down, trailing his tongue across the shell of Billy's ear. "You want this, don't you, Billy?" Dom whispered, his breath feathering across the damp path left by his tongue. "You want to come with my hand wrapped around you." Squeezing his fingers snugly around their erections, Dom gasped at the increased pressure. "I want it, too, sweetheart." His teeth found Billy's earlobe and tugged and nipped at it before he spoke again. "Come for me, Billy," Dom whimpered, struggling to hold onto his own control.

Billy's skin prickled with longing, as he needed to be closer to his Dommie, needed to feel his skin against his own, feel his sweet lover all over him. The sensation of Dom's warm breath on his neck and blowing against his ear sent a shiver down Billy's spine that he couldn't suppress.

"Yessss," he moaned as Dom's seductive, husky voice groaned into his ear. "Need." Hands gripped Dom's hips so tightly his nails left indentations in Dom's soft skin. "Please, Honey. Please."

"So beautiful, Billy," Dom whispered into his ear. "Do you know what it does to me when you beg?" He trailed his mouth along Billy's jaw as he spoke. "You make me so hard, makes me want you, so much."

"Fuck, Dommie," Billy whimpered. "Harder," he gasped as Dom's grip tightened, thumb flicking across their leaking tips and fingers sliding along their lengths, squeezing them together, grinding against each other slickly.

"Come for me, Billy," Dom whispered as he let his lips finally touch Billy's. "Please," Dom begged.

Beyond coherence, Billy's hips arched up into Dom's touch, his body taut under his lover. Whimpering brokenly, Billy's fingers clenched Dom's hips, his release spurting over Dom's fingers and belly.

Eyes dark with his own passionate arousal, Dom watched Billy fall apart beneath him. Feeling Billy arch into him, and the desperate clutching of Billy's fingers on his skin was Dom's undoing. Moments after Billy found his release, Dom let go of his own, unraveling control.

Chest heaving with exertion, desperately trying to catch his breath, Dom's long arms wrapped around Billy and he pulled the older man firmly to his chest. As their breathing calmed and their skin cooled, Dom lethargically pulled the blanket around them, Billy's soft snores already whuffling against Dom's chest as Dom's eyes sank closed once again.

[Chapter 24](http://community.livejournal.com/monaboyd/1643222.html)

  



	27. Western Lovers: Cowboys and Archaeologists 24/31

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Billy is a man to be reckoned with. Can Dom heal his wounded soul and his own into the bargain. Could Billy make him forget the bitter lessons of the past?

_**FIC: Western Lovers: Cowboys & Archaeologists 24/31**_  
  


[](http://photobucket.com)

  
 **Title:** Western Lovers: Cowboys and Archaeologists 24/31  
 **Author:** [](http://sassywitch.livejournal.com/profile)[**sassywitch**](http://sassywitch.livejournal.com/)  
 **Pairing:** BB/DM with a smattering of VM/LT and DW/OB  
 **Rating:** NC-17, to be on the safe side.  
 **Summary:** Billy is a man to be reckoned with. Can Dom heal his wounded soul and his own into the bargain. Could Billy make him forget the bitter lessons of the past?  
 **Feedback:** Feedback is my writers crack, which is not to be confused at all with plumbers crack.  
 **Disclaimer:** Not at all true in reality. These men whilst adorable and perfectly happy to slash themselves, their actual relationship is something that they only know. This story is adapted from a series of books that I adored when I was younger written by Elizabeth Lowell.  
 **Word Count:** 3759  
 **Header Art:** Courtesy of the incredibly talented [](http://loki-girl.livejournal.com/profile)[**loki_girl**](http://loki-girl.livejournal.com/)  
 **Previous Chapters:** can be found [Here](http://www.livejournal.com/tools/memories.bml?user=sassywitch&keyword=Western+Lovers&filter=all)  
 **A/N:** A huge thank you to [](http://dylan-dufresne.livejournal.com/profile)[**dylan_dufresne**](http://dylan-dufresne.livejournal.com/) for the inspiration, the prodding and the beta. She really deserves far more credit than just beta. This fic wouldn't be what it is without her labour of love. My grammar sucks really, really badly so she had to suffer it so nobody else would. Next Chapter on Wednesday.

~*~*~*~*~*~ 

Dom woke slowly, his eyes lazily fluttering open. As his mind slowly remembered the events of the last thirty six hours, Dom's arms instinctively tightened around Billy protectively, his long fingers stroking the smooth skin of Billy's back, his own tactile nature reassuring his mind that his lover was there. Finally awake, gazing drowsily into Billy's relaxed, sleeping face, Dom's fingertips trailed feather-light across bandage covering Billy's forehead, and a shudder ran along his spine at the possibility of losing his love so soon after he had found him, especially when Billy was giving them so little time.

Stomach growling loudly, Dom knew it wouldn't be long before his hungry rumbling and groaning belly woke Billy. Brushing his soft lips across Billy's forehead, Dom slid carefully out from around Billy's supine form. Rising to his feet, Dom stretched lithely, quietly moaning as he reached over his head and worked the kinks out of his back, the subtle, dawn sunlight kissing his naked skin warmly.

Pulling his previously discarded shorts on, Dom rummaged in their food stores, producing a package of chocolate biscuits that had somehow escaped his prior scrutiny. Eagerly, Dom opened the package quickly, long fingers pulling a creamy, chocolate morsel from the cellophane and sliding it into his mouth. Three biscuits later and hunger appeased, Dom's eyes were drawn again and again to Billy's restless, sleeping form.

A thought taking shape in his mind, Dom reached over and pulled his sketch pad out of his pack. Sitting cross-legged on a cool, sandstone ledge near their bed pallet, Dom's pencil flew over the paper, quickly sketching the sleeping man. Billy's restless sleep caused him to toss and turn on the feather-filled softness beneath him, his movements dragging his bedclothes lower until they slid down on his hips to barely maintain his modesty, the hint of a nest of curling hair appearing above the edge of the blankets.

Entranced by the beauty of his lover, Dom gazed at the pale skin that never held the rosy tint of the sun that kissed it, always failing to tan, despite the hours spent outdoors. Instead, freckles that matched the soft, ginger highlights of Billy's hair were scattered across his ivory skin, the curls covering his chest in a furry mat begged to have long fingers drawn through them, and slender hips below a slightly poochy belly that bore the same nest of finely curling hair. Dom sighed loudly, and distracted from his drawing, he leaned forward, elbows on his sketch book as he watched, fascinated by the steady rise and fall of Billy's muscular chest.

Pencil pushed behind his ear, Dom slid his sketch book to the side and wrapped his arms around his bare legs, watching hungrily, and with his chin resting on his knees, Dom resisted the temptation to crawl back onto the bedroll and cradle Billy in his long arms. His lips trembled with the need to kiss Billy, as he watched Billy's tongue moisten his slightly parted lips.

Captivated by his lover's unconscious actions, Dom watched as one of Billy's hands slid across his chest, small fingers brushing across one of his nipples. Even as Dom watched, the tiny, deep pink nubbin hardened under Billy's attentions. Torn between the voyeuristic pleasures he was currently enjoying, and the possibility of crawling into the bedroll and fulfilling whatever it was that was playing inside Billy's sleeping mind, Dom watched as Billy's hand traced a teasing path through the lightly furred skin of his belly. Eyes sliding lower, Dom couldn't withhold the low moan of longing that slipped from his lips as he realized that whatever it was Billy was seeing in his dreams, he was desperately arousing himself. Billy's growing erection, barely hidden by the blankets, was now fully exposed as Billy's firm legs moved restlessly, striving to retrieve the friction that the blankets had provided.

As Billy's small hand closed around his arousal, Dom's slid to the front of his own shorts, his fingers pressing against the growing erection, desperate to match the slow, easy rhythm of Billy's hand. A thickly accented word left Billy's lips on a breathless sigh, and Dom scrambled forward, his hands pressed against the bedroll at Billy’s side, his jean shorts pulled taut across his aching arousal, eyes transfixed by Billy. Mesmerized by Billy's hips stuttering forward, Dom watched as Billy plunged his cock into his tightly fisted hand as it stroked, and achingly aroused by Billy's words, Dom heard his own name lovingly whispered, over and over again.

While Dom's hands frantically unbuttoned his jean shorts and pushed them down his legs, Dom's eyes never left Billy, his tongue tracing suddenly dry lips as he gazed at the glistening tip of Billy's arousal, disappearing into his tight fist. Seeing the glistening fluid leaking from the head of Billy's hard erection, Dom hungrily remembered the taste of his lover in his mouth. Billy's hips lifted, arching into his own touch, hungry for the release that was beginning to race through his body. With his feet flat on the ground beneath him, thigh muscles straining as he pushed up into his hand, soft moans torn from Billy's lips as his breath grew shallow, head tossing from side to side as he begged for his Dommie's touch.

"Fuck me, Dommie," Billy whimpered brokenly, his hips beginning to thrust erratically into his hand.

Eyes glazed with desire, Dom's strength failed him as he listened to Billy's passionate pleas, and barely able to resist his own desperate need to touch Billy, Dom couldn't withstand Billy's guttural, pleading brogue. Scrabbling inelegantly forward across the bedclothes, Dom straddled Billy, fastening his lips on Billy's in a wet, open mouthed kiss, hips undulating against Billy's, grinding into him hungrily.

"Dommie." Billy's eyes opened, heavy with sleep, arousal and confusion. "What-"

Dom silenced Billy's questions, desperately plunging his tongue into Billy's mouth, fingers twisting at Billy's nipples eagerly, body trying to meld itself to Billy's.

"Billy," Dom whimpered. "Please, Billy. I want you."

"Dommie," Billy moaned, his hands moving to clasp Dom's hips tightly, fingers leaving marks in the pale skin. "Can't wait, Dommie. Need-"

"Yes, you can," Dom groaned into Billy's ear as his tongue licked around the shell, his teeth fastening on the lobe and tugging it gently. "You have, too," he continued, breathy words brushing against Billy's skin so he felt it as much as he heard it. "I want you inside me," he murmured. "Deep."

Billy threw his head back, neck taut, body strung bow-tight with the need to find the release that surged through him. A long mewling groan was torn from Billy's lips as he struggled to regain control of his body, and fighting desperately against the climax simmering through his body, bubbling just below his skin, begging for release, Billy thrashed wildly beneath Dom.

Worried about Billy's injury, watching him fight the wild, desperate, insistent need for completion that he could feel thundering through Billy's veins, Dom levered himself up until he was sitting upright. Straddling Billy's trembling thighs, Dom's heavy arousal brushed against his belly as he gently teased Billy's hands away. Closing his hand tightly around the base of Billy's throbbing, leaking erection, Dom's other hand gently stroked Billy's quivering belly, willing his lover to calm down.

"Baby," he crooned gently. "Breathe, Billy," he spoke softly. "Talk to me, Bills," he whispered. "C'mon, baby."

As his frantic thrusting slowed, Billy drew a long shuddering breath, and the eyes that had been squeezed shut tightly, opened, glazed with passion and need. Looking up at his young lover, one hand moving to stroke his bare thigh, Billy whispered, "Need you, Honey."

"I know, baby. I know," Dom answered as he slid off Billy's thighs, molding himself along Billy's side, his arousal rubbing against Billy's hip as he did. "I need you like I need air," he replied.

"Dommie, don't leave me like this," Billy murmured, turning his head to kiss Dom wetly.

"I wouldn't, Billy," Dom breathed against Billy's mouth. "But I want to feel you inside me." Dom sighed as Billy's hand closed over his heavy arousal. "I want you to make love to me, baby."

"Lube," Billy groaned, closing his eyes as he struggled to maintain the weakening grasp of his control.

“Don't move," Dom whispered, tearing himself away from Billy's hand.

Scrabbling with the fastenings on his pack with trembling hands, Dom pulled his belongings from the pockets, dropping them carelessly until his fingers closed around the small bottle he sought. Crawling back to Billy's side, Dom dipped his head and pressed an open mouthed kiss to the slick tip of Billy's arousal before leaning back and letting his tongue trail around his glistening lips, tasting his lover. Flicking open the bottle of lube with one thumbnail and squeezing it into his palm, Dom never broke eye contact with Billy as he parted his thighs and quickly prepared his body for his lover.

"You expect me to survive that," Billy whimpered, eyes feasting hungrily on the sight as he watched Dom slide two slick fingers into his own body.

Eyes heavy with arousal, Billy was utterly transfixed by Dom's sensual and erotic actions, and as one long-fingered hand stroked his impressive erection, the other plunged into his own body, scissoring and stretching himself quickly. Dom's head tilted to the side, his heavy lidded eyes fixed on Billy, breathless whimpers and moans tumbling from his lips.

"C'mere, Dommie," Billy groaned, his hand closed tightly around the base of his leaking erection, struggling against the climax thundering through him. "Please, Honey." Billy's other hand extended, reaching out for his lover, stroking his thigh. "I need you….now."

Golden flesh glistening with perspiration, Dom moved to straddle Billy, one hand sliding down Billy's belly to close around Billy's erection. As Dom lowered his body, his hand guided Billy until the blunt, slick end of his lover's arousal pressed against his stretched entrance. Leaning forward, Dom pressed his forehead against Billy's, willing his body to relax as he sank down, not pausing until Billy was buried deep inside him. Exhaling a long, hungry sigh as his slender body adjusted to Billy's intrusion, Dom pushed himself upright. Lacing his fingers with Billy's, Dom pulled his lover up until their eyes locked, and then his hands moved to frame Billy's head, their lips barely meeting and parting in messy, open-mouthed kisses as Dom's hips began to undulate slowly.

Neither man was going to last long, almost hyper-aroused, their hands caressing tenderly even as their mouths met passionately and their bodies slammed together hungrily. Dom's arousal, trapped between their bodies, ground against Billy's furry stomach, smearing his own fluids as he struggled to prolong the ecstasy screaming through him. Pressing his knees bruisingly tight against Billy's hips, Dom slammed his body onto Billy's thrusting arousal, and fingers dug almost painfully into Dom's hips as Billy bucked wildly, almost out of control in his need to find completion, buried deep inside Dom's tight body. Begging and whimpering profusely under Dom's heaving, thrusting body, Billy groaned, pleading incoherently for the release he so desperately needed.

Long thumbs traced Billy's perspiring cheekbones, drawing Billy's concentration back to his words as Dom looked into his eyes. Struggling with his traitorous body, Dom pressed a short, hard kiss to Billy's lips and pulled back.

"Now, Billy," Dom growled as he slammed down onto Billy's thrusts, his eyes narrowing into a frown as his control began to unravel against his will. "Now Billy…..for me."

Unable to maintain even a shred of his restraint, Dom's mouth devoured Billy's lips as his hips impacted slickly against Billy's pelvis, muscles clenching tightly around Billy's arousal as his own release pulsed against Billy's furry belly.

Tightly held in the desperate grip of his Dom's body, Billy could no longer withstand the need to let go of his restraint, and then his warm, pulsing release filled his young lover. Breathless, Billy sank bonelessly back to the bedroll beneath them, pulling Dom with him. Pressed together from shoulder to toes, Dom clasped Billy's sweaty face in his hands, kissing him long and tenderly as their heart rates slowly returned to normal.

Dom didn't need words to express his love, relief and devotion to Billy, for he wore his heart on his sleeve. Every touch, every kiss, every glance told Billy just how deeply Dom loved him, and as Dom's head rested against his racing heartbeat, tears filled Billy's eyes as he drifted back to sleep, cradled in Dom's loving arms.

~*~*~*~*~*~

The pain in his head more an ache now, Billy realized, resting his head on one hand as he laid on his side, watching his young lover resting peacefully. Relaxed in sleep, Dom lay on his back, his head turned towards Billy, and tousled blond hair fell over his forehead, his lips slightly parted, long, dark lashes brushing his cheeks. One hand was pressed under Dom's cheek, the other riding low on his naked belly, palm flat, his elegant fingers resting just below his navel.

Eyes trailing down Dom's lithe body, Billy's smile broadened as he noticed Dom's morning erection, and dragging his attention lower, his grin softened as he realized that in his sleep, Dom had looped one of his feet between Billy's. Realizing that Dom had been unable to stop himself from touching Billy, even in sleep, a pang of sorrow and need swept through Billy. Body still caught in the grasp of pain medication, his warm, pliant lover wrapped up in his arms, Billy pressed a feathery kiss against the top of Dom's head and drifted back into his own dreamland again.

  
~*~*~*~*~

Butterflies danced lightly across Billy's bare skin, their soft, teasing touch causing goosebumps to form all over his body. Warm and languid, his limbs heavy with sleepy satisfaction, Billy slowly opened his eyes. With the sun now high in the sky, Billy's attention was stolen, not by the blindingly, beautiful day, but by his Dom kneeling between his legs, lips pressing tiny kisses against the insides of Billy's splayed thighs.

"Morning, sweetheart," Dom murmured, looking up at Billy through his blonde fringe and long eyelashes.

"Come up here and say that properly, Dommie," Billy whispered, his legs falling open wantonly as his fingers tangled in Dom's mussed hair.

"Don't think so, Bills," Dom answered, grinning and then pressing a wet, open-mouthed kiss against the underside of Billy's arousal. "At least, not for a little while anyway."

"You still owe me a kiss, Honey." Billy gasped at the feel of Dom's lips against his flesh.

"Will this do?" Dom smiled sweetly as he pressed his lips against Billy's tip, flicking across the sensitive flesh with the tip of his tongue.

"For the moment," Billy sighed, the fingers of one hand twisting in Dom's hair, the other stroking his shoulder, gently caressing his neck, touching Dom wherever he could reach.

"Good," Dom murmured. "Cos I thought I might follow it up with this." Opening his mouth and sliding his lips along Billy's thick erection, Dom's tongue swirled and greedily lapped at the flesh in his mouth.

"Dommie, please," Billy whimpered, hips arching up into Dom's touch.

"Does that mean" Dom asked, his voice thick and husky as he pulled his mouth away and moved his face lower, pressing his lips against Billy's scrotum, licking and sucking before he spoke again. "That you like it?" Dom murmured before running his tongue along the underside of Billy's arousal again. Tongue swirling around the tip, Dom lapped at the tiny, leaking slit there before sitting back on his heels, gazing at Billy.

His own heavy erection evident, Dom's breathing was ragged as he looked deep into Billy's eyes, his lips swollen and slick, eyes cobalt dark with arousal. "Well, Bills?" Dom smiled as his fingers trailed featherlight up and down the inside of Billy's thighs. "Do you like it?"

"Can't believe you have to ask," Billy gasped.

"Want some more?" Dom asked, a cheeky grin lighting up his face. While his elegant hand trailed across the coarse hair, weighing Billy slowly, Dom's long fingers teased Billy's arousal and stroked it gently.

"Ohhhh God, Dommie," Billy cried out hoarsely, rapidly approaching incoherence. "Don't. Don't ever stop."

"Wouldn't it get-" Dom leaned forward, flicking his tongue across Billy's tip and blowing warm breath as he pulled away. "Boring if I were-" Dom let his lips slide along Billy's length, taking him into his mouth as far as he could, head bobbing up and down, tongue twisting sinuously around Billy as he sucked. Lifting his head, Dom trailed his long tongue around his swollen lips, collecting the glistening moisture that clung there after he released Billy. "To do this all the time?"

"Hell, no," Billy wailed, pressing his hips up, begging for Dom's touch.

"I think it would." Dom answered his own question before renewing the deep, swallowing suction on Billy's arousal.

Replacing his lips with his hand, Dom looked up at Billy. "We should save this for special occasions." Curling his lips over his teeth, and closing his mouth around Billy's tip, Dom sucked hard and fast, his tongue pressing into the tiny opening at the tip as his hand stroked Billy's length. Speed increasing as Billy's hips stuttered erratically off the sleeping bag, incoherent whimpers bubbling from Billy's bow-shaped lips.

"I've got other plans for you," Dom murmured as he sat back, his thumb brushing back and forth across Billy's saliva slick tip, "I'm pretty sure you're going to love it."

"Mmm?" Billy whimpered, eyes fixed on Dom's hand, hips jerking against the sensuous touch, a sheen of perspiration covering his pale skin.

"Mmmm?" Dom asked teasingly. "Cat got your tongue, Bills?" As Dom moved to straddle Billy's thighs, their erections almost bumped together, drawing a shuddering gasp from both of them.

"Something. Like. That," Billy ground out. "Please, Dommie."

"You see," Dom began as he leaned into Billy, letting their slick erections touch. "I woke up and found this delicious man in my arms," he explained as his fingers closed around their erections and stroked slowly. "I remembered," Dom gasped. "Promising to shag him through the bedroll." Whimpering, Dom released his hold on their flesh.

"Dommie. Don't. Tease." Billy arched up, desperate for friction on his aching arousal.

"Not." Dom shook his head, licking Billy's skin wetly. "''Splaining." He trailed his fingers over Billy's ribs as he moved higher. "You were so hard, Billy," he murmured. "Watched you." Closing his hand around Billy's erection, Dom positioned himself above his lover. "Need this, Bills." Without another word, Dom slowly lowered himself onto Billy.

"Dom. No." Billy's hand's flew to Dom's hips, trying to stop his descent "Not ready."

As Billy breached his entrance, Dom slid his body down until they were completely and intimately joined. "I am, Bills," Dom whispered into his ear. "I got ready while I was watching you sleep. Your dreams must have been hot," he murmured as he slowly lifted his hips. "I wanted to wake you like this."

"I swear," Billy groaned as Dom began to ease himself slowly back down. "You're killing me."

"Inch by tiny inch," Dom breathed as he undulated against Billy. "Right Bills?"

"Not. So. Tiny," Billy ground out, the fingers of one hand wrapping around Dom's throbbing erection, stroking him tightly.

"No," Dom gasped. "Not so tiny." Billy's fingers sliding across his throbbing arousal stole all thoughts of control from Dom's mind, his focus turning to holding on long enough to bring Billy pleasure.

"Won't. Last," Billy murmured, his teeth grinding together as he lifted his knees, pushing himself deeper against his Honey.

"Good. Time. Not. Long. Time," Dom whimpered, hands moving to rest against Billy's furry chest, his thumbs rubbing and stroking his nipples.

Pushing up into Dom, his head thrown back, eyes closed and neck taut, groaning whimpers tumbled from Billy's lips as his hips stuttered up to meet Dom's sweat-slick body.

Dom's movements against Billy, the way his lithe body clenched so tightly around Billy as he pushed, deeper, harder and faster into him, relentlessly drove Billy towards his completion. Body bow-string taut under his lover, Dom's knees squeezing his sides tightly, Billy opened his eyes, desperately seeking distraction from his own steamrolling climax.

Golden, sweat-slicked body wrapped in the sparkling halo of sunlight that enveloped him, head thrown back and eyes closed, Dom's lips moved as unintelligible words escaped. Long fingers pinched at Billy's nipples as Dom slammed down against him, over and over again.

Billy's fingers squeezed Dom's arousal firmly as he stroked him, tight and fast. All thoughts of finesse evaporated as their rhythm dissolved into frantic, erratic, sweat-slick grinding thrusts.

"Yes. Yes. Yes. Yes," Dom chanted wildly as his hips slammed harder and faster into Billy's. Control frayed and dissolved, Dom almost sobbed with pleasure as they hurtled into the abyss of blissful completion.

The tight, twisting grip was the last straw as Billy's calloused thumb brushed roughly against Dom's leaking tip, and his body rebelled against his iron will. Pleasure curled tightly at the base of Dom's spine and traveled through his whole body, tightening almost painfully before releasing like a starburst.

As Dom's intimate warmth spurted across Billy's fingers and stomach, his body clenched around Billy's aching arousal, shattering the final shreds of Billy's control. Finding his release deep inside his sweet, gentle lover, Billy's breath is ragged as he reaches up, his hands finding Dom's face and guiding their lips together.

"Time for your kiss," Billy murmured, pulling Dom's mouth to his.

Lips meeting wetly, Billy wrapped his arms around Dom tugging him closer, feeling their hearts beating against each other rapidly as they slowly began to calm. Heart rates slowing and bodies relaxing, Billy held Dom firmly to his chest as Dom attempted to begin to slide off of him.

"What was the special occasion?" Billy murmured into Dom's hair.

"Simple. The sun came up," Dom whispered, his lips pressing a trail of feathery kisses against Billy's shoulder as he spoke.

"I guess that's special," Billy replied.

"'Course it is, Billy." Sighing, Dom pulled back and looked into his lover's face. "You were here. I was here. The sun was shining. It's a special day in my books."

"Mine too," Billy said quietly. "We haven't got much longer, have we?" His fingers stroked up and down Dom's back slowly.

Dom shook his head against Billy's shoulder. "Two weeks," Dom whispered, voice tinged with regret.

Billy's heart missed a beat as he considered the prospect of life without his Honey.

[Chapter 25](http://community.livejournal.com/monaboyd/1644983.html)

  



	28. Western Lovers: Cowboys and Archaeologists 25/32

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Billy is a man to be reckoned with. Can Dom heal his wounded soul and his own into the bargain. Could Billy make him forget the bitter lessons of the past?

_**FIC: Western Lovers:Cowboys & Archaeologists 25/32**_  
  


[](http://photobucket.com)

  
 **Title:** Western Lovers: Cowboys and Archaeologists 25/32  
 **Author:** [](http://sassywitch.livejournal.com/profile)[**sassywitch**](http://sassywitch.livejournal.com/)  
 **Pairing:** BB/DM with a smattering of VM/LT and DW/OB  
 **Rating:** NC-17, to be on the safe side.  
 **Summary:** Billy is a man to be reckoned with. Can Dom heal his wounded soul and his own into the bargain. Could Billy make him forget the bitter lessons of the past?  
 **Feedback:** Feedback is my writers crack, which is not to be confused at all with plumbers crack.  
 **Disclaimer:** Not at all true in reality. These men whilst adorable and perfectly happy to slash themselves, their actual relationship is something that they only know. This story is adapted from a series of books that I adored when I was younger written by Elizabeth Lowell.  
 **Word Count:** 3759  
 **Header Art:** Courtesy of the incredibly talented [](http://loki-girl.livejournal.com/profile)[**loki_girl**](http://loki-girl.livejournal.com/)  
 **Previous Chapters:** can be found [Here](http://www.livejournal.com/tools/memories.bml?user=sassywitch&keyword=Western+Lovers&filter=all)  
 **A/N:** A huge thank you to [](http://dylan-dufresne.livejournal.com/profile)[**dylan_dufresne**](http://dylan-dufresne.livejournal.com/) for the inspiration, the prodding and the beta. She really deserves far more credit than just beta. This fic wouldn't be what it is without her labour of love. My grammar sucks really, really badly so she had to suffer it so nobody else would. Next Chapter on Wednesday.

~*~*~*~*~*~ 

David stood at the door of the kitchen in the main house, fingers scratching his light beard as he waited for the heavy, black kettle to boil. It had taken a few moments to get Liv's pride and joy, her old fashioned wood burning stove, fired up before starting his pot of 'cowboy' coffee. Now, leaning against the doorframe, David scanned the grassy home yards. In a relatively flat field, covered in tiny wildflowers and fresh green grass, Dominic stood bare chested, soft flowing pants riding low on his angular hips, his arms lifted over his head, stretching lithely.

Tilting his head and gazing up, David saw his elder brother leaning against the edge of the second floor veranda that wrapped around the bunkhouse. Smiling to himself, David walked back into the kitchen and placed a second coffee mug on the bench, waiting to fill it with the hot coffee that was brewing in the kettle.

Not ten minutes before David had stepped into his pre-dawn shower, he had heard the unmistakable sound of his brother creeping into his own room in the bunkhouse. Noise carried on the still, night air, and not a soul on the Double L was ignorant of the new sleeping arrangements of their Ramrod, but nobody would dare to mention it to him. Well, no-one except Billy's brother, that is.

Walking back outside, David leaned just beside the door, letting the suns gentle rays warm him, back braced against the wall behind him, eyes fixed on Dominic's golden body. He'd be lying if he said that he didn't find Dominic attractive. The young man was as beautiful and beguiling as a siren's song, not to mention altogether far more arousing than David would be happy with Billy knowing.

Pale blue eyes were fixed on Dom's smooth skin as David watched him, stretching and moving through his yoga routine in a slow, precise manner. Hearing the kettle bubbling away on the stove top, David turned and walked back into the kitchen, and after filling both mugs with hot, steaming coffee, David made sure the fire in the stove was dampened before he lifted the mugs and made the short walk to the bunkhouse.

Striding almost silently up the stairs, David stood behind his brother for long moments, knowing that for more years than he cared to remember, Billy had all but closed himself off from the world at large. Yet now, standing at the end of the verandah, soft, violet shadows under his eyes, hair finger combed and pale neck spotted with mouth shaped bruising of varying ages, Billy had never looked more alive than he did in that moment.

"You know, you could go down there and actually be with him?" David offered quietly as he handed Billy one of the hot mugs of coffee he carried.

"He's exercising," Billy murmured fondly, sipping from the steaming cup, never taking his eyes from his young lover. Dom remained in the middle of the small field, his golden chest bare and glistening in the morning light, his yoga pants riding even lower than before on his hips as he gracefully went through his morning routine. "Why can't you just use the machine to make the morning coffee?" Billy asked, wincing as the strong brew washed over his taste buds.

"That's not coffee, that's lame-assed, French roasted, pretend stuff," David explained as he grinned. "This is the good stuff."

"Did it come from a jar labeled 'Paint Stripper'?" Billy chuckled and raised an eyebrow as he glanced at David.

"C'mon, Pip," David laughed. "It'll put hair on your chest."

Billy pulled the front of his shirt open, revealing the furry, ginger curls nestled there, and inadvertently showed the rosy bruise left above his right nipple by Dom's exploring mouth. "I think I'm covered in that department, don't you?"

Holding Billy's shirt open and gesticulating at the rosy mark, David spoke softly. "Stop changing the subject, Pip. Why's he exercising at all, is beyond me. Judging by the look of you, he's getting all the exercise he needs." David smirked as he turned his attention to the short grass of the paddock beside the old ranch house.

"Daisy," Billy warned, his voice gruff.

"I was thinking," David began, his eyes fixed on Dom.

"There's a first," Billy interjected with a laugh.

"Fuck off, Pip." David smiled in reply.

"So, you were thinking?" Billy turned his attention back to Dom. "Or have we suddenly fallen off that train?"

"Train?" David frowned. "What are you talking about?"

"The train of thought you just disembarked."

"Hah-fucking-hah, Pip." David smacked the back of Billy's head, transported back to the playful, yet not quite adult banter of their teenaged years. His playful blow had startled Billy, mug nearly toppling from his small hand. Smiling to himself, David watched Billy struggling not to spill his mud-thick black coffee.

"The train, Daisy?" Billy asked softly as he collected his composure again.

"You're sending him away, right?" David murmured, watching his brother closely in his peripheral vision.

"Is this leading somewhere?" Billy answered, nodding his confirmation as he leaned forward, watching intently as Dom nearly bent double, long arms wrapped around his calves.

"What would you do if I were to ask him out?" David inquired softly.

"Dom?" Billy's voice was paper thin in his response.

"No, you, you ponce. Of course, Dom." David spoke quietly, watching his brother's face closely. "C'mon Billy, he's more than attractive; he's beautiful inside and out. He's intelligent and bright. You'd have to be dead for him not to turn you on."

"I can't stop you, but you do what you feel you must," Billy replied through clenched teeth.

"But it would kill you to watch, wouldn't it?" David asked quietly. "For God's sake, Pip! You should ask him to stay. He might surprise you."

"Can't, Daisy," Billy said firmly. "I have to set him free."

"The way you've set him free when he's here?" David stated dryly. "You're unbelievable, the pair of you." David stood, hands pressed against his hips as he spoke. "And it's not just you. You're both guilty of wanting each other. You're never out of visual contact, you always know where the other is. Both of you practically know what the other is fucking thinking, and you may as well be eating him whenever you're close enough to touch. You're in each others souls, just as deeply as you're in each others hearts."

"Is there a point going to be coming soon, Daisy?" Billy asked flatly, his eyes following Dom's movements.

"He doesn't need freedom, he needs you," David stated bluntly. "More to the point, you stubborn old bastard, _you_ need Dom. I haven't seen you alive like this since before that bastard hurt you. I hadn't realized how much I missed you."

"What I need is irrelevant. It's what he needs that's important," Billy murmured as he watched Dom bend, hold the pose and then stand up, his eyes meeting Billy's unerringly across the distance between them and then smiling before he turned and walked back into the old ranch house.

"Sure." David nodded sagely, gesturing towards Dom's house, his eyes fixed on his brother's face. "Sure looks like he needs freedom. That whole yoga routine is for you, far more than it is for him. He loves you, you daft prick. He loves giving you everything he thinks you want. He lives for having your eyes on him. Get over yourself and love him back before he believes you and goes looking elsewhere."

"He won't. Not yet," Billy murmured, watching the door that had closed behind Dom).

"Oh for fucks' sake, Pip," David cursed as he pulled the almost empty coffee mug from Billy's hand. "Go. You're not fooling anyone sneaking in here before sunrise. We all know you've been fucking like bunnies, all night, every night. Go, I'll cover for you. I don't want to know the details, just enjoy yourself. And make sure you come back without the lovesick puppy look, okay?"

"I can't. We've both got work to do," Billy stated.

"And by lunchtime, the both of you will be beyond hungry for food," David retorted with a smile.

"Go. There's nothing happening I can't handle."

"I've got work to do, Daisy," Billy hissed as he turned to look at his brother. "Even if there wasn't Double L work, I've got to sort out a way to get Craig home, you know that." Pausing he glared at David. "Don't press your luck, little brother."

Abruptly, David pushed both mugs into Billy's hands. "Funnily enough, I have work to do, too. Deal with these for me? I've got somewhere I need to be." David didn't wait for a reply, just turned and loped along the verandah and down the stairs in the centre of the building.

Looking back towards the old ranch house, Billy couldn't help but grin at his brother's antics. Billy wasn't stupid, he knew exactly why David had just made himself scarce, and given Billy the perfect excuse to visit the kitchen. Dom was walking up the hill towards the main house, a coffee cup in hand, obviously coming to visit with Liv for a little human interaction before he starts sorting artifacts for the day. Turning, his cuban heeled boots tapping sharply on the wooden boards beneath his feet, Billy moved downstairs quickly, hoping for a stolen moment with his lover before the day got underway, a happy tune whistling from his cherubic lips.

Stepping into the kitchen so closely behind Dom their boots almost touched, Billy stopped, hungrily watching Dom.

"Missed you when I woke up," Dom stated softly without turning around.

"I'm sorry." Billy peered around him. "Where's Livvy?" he asked.

"No, you're not, and she's changing Milo," Dom replied, turning to face Billy as he wrapped his arms around Billy's waist. "Upstairs."

"Good," Billy murmured, as his lips found Dom's, sliding his hands around Dom's slender waist. "Kiss me?"

"Thought you'd never ask," Dom murmured, lips brushing against Billy's wetly, tongue dipping inside Billy's mouth.

Pushing Billy against the door firmly, Dom let his hands roam at will across Billy's cloth covered back, his long fingers trailing across the pale, worn denim that was pulled taut across Billy's buttocks. Dom's ravenous hunger belied the fact that they had quenched their thirst for each other only hours ago.

Moaning into Dom's mouth, Billy's shoulders pressed against the heavy door as his own hands hungrily slid across Dom's back. Fingers tugging the soft cotton from the waistband of Dom's jeans, Billy's hands slid across Dom's bared skin and dipped beneath the denim, the calloused fingertips brushing against the gently curving flesh of Dom's buttocks.

While Billy's hands danced across Dom's bare backside, Dom's fingers swirled across the material covering Billy's back, and one of his hands lifted to tangle in Billy's hair as he tilted his head to give his mouth greater access to Billy's. Glistening, saliva-slick lips slid across stubbled cheeks, always returning to seal messily with the other's lips, drinking their mutual hunger greedily. Hands slid, groped and tussled with clothing that parted too slowly for their need. Lost in themselves, neither heard the sharp gasp as Liv walked into the kitchen. Both however, jumped when the door closed loudly behind her.

"Sorry," Liv murmured, her eyes round as she watched them. Eyes roaming along Dom's back, Liv saw his t-shirt rucked up high enough for Billy's hands to disappear into the loose denim. Denim pushed so low that it barely covered the curve of Dom's buttocks. With Dom's legs splayed wide, Liv could see Billy's thighs between Dom's, and pressed so close that she just knew his back was arched into Dom, desperately rubbing their torsos and more together wantonly. One of Dom's hands twisted in Billy's curling ginger hair as they kissed, and as Liv attempted to catalogue her mental description, the only word she could come up with was ravenous.

And incredibly erotic. Liv's hand was already twisting on the doorknob that had given away her presence, and as she turned it, she watched Dom lift his head from Billy's lips. Eyes so dark they seemed almost black when they fluttered open, Billy's expression was glazed and filled with intense desire and a raw passion that Liv had never imagined Billy capable of before. She watched them, their chests heaving as they struggled to catch their breath, and melting into each other, hands stroking gently, reluctant to release their hold on each other, even now that they had been discovered. Their inability to stop touching only succeeded in making the whole image even more erotic in Liv's eyes, and feeling like an intruder that had stumbled into a heaven she didn't deserve, Liv blushed furiously as she pulled the door open again.

"I'm sorry," she stammered. "I didn't realize. Don't stop on my account. I'll….um…I'll be in the dining room." She moved through the door, speaking softly. "I'm sorry."

Cheeks pink, Dom pressed his face against Billy's neck, kissing him wetly, hands roaming across Billy's back again.

"So I guess the cat is out of the bag?" Dom murmured as he suckled on the skin his mouth found, and then the door swung towards them for a third time.

"I'm sorry, I know," Liv murmured. "I said I was going, but I just had to tell you, I'm so happy for you. You're adorable together. This is really wonderful. I'm just so happy for you." She almost giggled. "I'm sorry for interrupting. Please go back to whatever it was you were doing."

"I think that may have been approval, Dommie," Billy whispered as he nuzzled against Dom's hair, licking at the shell of his ear, his hands caressing Dom's bare skin.

"I think so, Billy." Dom turned his head, catching Billy's mouth with his own. Their lips met in a wet, slick kiss as their hands slid across each other greedily, Liv's intrusion already forgotten.

~*~*~*~*~

Liv walked the length of the dining room and back again, face split by a wide, happy grin, footsteps bouncing more than pacing as her mind was filled with the images of her friend, and her husband's business partner, wrapped in a passionate, loving embrace. Speculation about their affection was one thing, but to actually see them, so much in love and engrossed by each other, beyond rational thought, was one of the most erotic, sensual things Liv had ever seen. Startled by footsteps entering the dining room, Liv grinned when she saw her husband approaching her.

"How's my pussy cat?" Viggo asked with a grin, watching his wife closely, recognizing the shimmering hunger in her eyes.

"I'm just fine, my love." Liv smiled, her back pressed against the kitchen door.

"Then how's the canary?" Viggo added, one eyebrow quirked, waiting patiently for her to reveal herself to him.

"Darling, I love you, but sometimes you make no sense," Liv sighed, the corners of her mouth curling up.

"You look like the cat that got the canary. There must be a reason." Viggo tried to reach around Liv to turn the handle of the kitchen door. "And my guess is, the reason is in our kitchen."

Rocking one hip, knocking Viggo's hand out of the way, Liv let it land at her waist and held it there. "None. I just love my husband."

"Livvy, I just want a drink," Viggo sighed as he reached around her with his other arm.

Grabbing Viggo's hand and pulling it to her lips, Liv pressed a wet kiss into his palm.

"I just want you, Vig," she murmured huskily, eyes dark with arousal.

"Liv, it's practically the middle of the morning, honey." Viggo watched her heavy-lidded eyes and pink, flushed skin, his own body tightening in response before he spoke with a frown. "We've both got work to do."

"Mmmm, but what's work without some fun?" Liv whispered, leaning up to wrap her hands around Viggo's neck, pulling his face down to hers.

"What's going on in the kitchen, Livvie?" Viggo asked suspiciously, turning his head to avoid her kiss.

"Nothing," she answered breathily, her lips finding his neck, licking and suckling the skin there. "I just want my husband."

"Ah huh." Viggo tilted his head back and let Liv's lips trail across his neck at will. "Likewise, I want my beautiful wife, but what don't you want me to see?"

"We'll see," Liv murmured softly against Viggo's ear. "I happened to walk in on Dom pinning Billy against the wall. By now I wouldn't be surprised if they weren't going at it on the kitchen table," she explained.

"Why didn't you say?" Viggo shrugged, bracing his hands against the door as he leaned down to give his wife a deep, wet kiss. "Good thing we don't eat off that table."

"We used to," Liv whispered in his ear as she nibbled on a fleshy lobe. "Until we christened it, remember?"

"Of course I do. I couldn't eat there again, not without wanting you." Viggo sighed against her skin. "So you liked what you saw, I take it?"

"It was ever so hot, Vig. They were so incredibly aroused and in love and it was beautiful; golden skin and fingers and slick, wet kisses." Liv wrapped her arms around Viggo's neck and pressed her body against his.

"Please don't tell me my Ramrod was the one that lit the fire under my delicious wife," Viggo murmured against Liv's seductive mouth.

"Wasn't just him." Liv lifted one leg across Viggo's hip and eagerly ground herself against him. "Was Dom, too. I've never seen him like that, so sensual and hungry and alive. So passionately entwined that they barely knew anyone else was alive."

"You liked that, did you?" Viggo whispered, his hands roaming down Liv's sides to rest on her hips and pull her tighter against him.

"There was something so erotic and sensual, Vig," she murmured, licking a trail across his lightly bearded chin. "They were so wrapped up in each other. They're so in love."

"Maybe. Or maybe," Viggo strung wet kisses across Liv's face. "I should go and thank them for warming my wife up for me." One hand reached out for the door knob.

"No." Liv grabbed Viggo's hand and pulled it back to her hip. "Milo's asleep," she whispered, nipping at his earlobe. "Can't you think of something else to do?"

"I think I could." Viggo lifted Liv by the hips, deepening their kiss as he dragged her body fully against his.

Wrapping her legs around Viggo's hips, Liv's arms encircled his neck. "Take me to bed, cowboy," she whispered in his ear as he started towards the staircase.  
~*~*~*~*~*~

Billy groaned raggedly as Dom ground his body against him, Dom's arousal pressing firmly into his own, dragging a desperate moan of unbridled longing from his kiss-swollen lips. Closing strong, small fingers on Dom's slender hips, Billy walked him backwards until progress was halted by a collision with the kitchen table.

Arms snaking around his cowboy lover, Dom didn't hesitate, lifting his feet from the ground, legs wrapping around Billy's thighs and hips undulating wantonly against Billys.

"What have you done to me?" Dom murmured against Billy's throat as he licked and sucked the stubbled skin there.

Pulling back, his heavy lidded eyes searching Dom's face carefully, Billy's breath heaved as he struggled to strengthen his flimsy hold on control. One hand reaching out to smooth Dom's tousled hair off his face, Billy finally trusted his voice to speak.

"I'm sorry, Honey," he sighed on a strangled breath. "I didn't mean to hurt you."

Dom pulled Billy's concerned face back down to his again, kissing him deeply, their tongues gliding slickly across each other, lips barely parting in their hunger to taste each other again. "Not hurt," Dom gasped as his hands slipped down Billy back, hips rocking into Billy's wantonly. "Desperate for you," he almost sobbed as Billy's hand closed over the damp, denim covered ridge of his aching arousal. "Need your touch." Dom licked the side of Billy's face wetly before he slid his mouth back to find Billy's perfect lips. "You're like oxygen to me."

"We're even then," Billy whispered as his trembling fingers slid the button at Dom's waistband loose.

Dom's long, elegant fingers closed over Billy's as they brushed across the remaining buttons on his blue jeans, and the increased pressure over his aching arousal tore a moan of longing from Dom's swollen lips, even as his hips pressed forward desperately, begging for more intense sensation.

"We can't, Billy," Dom gasped against Billy's mouth. "Not on Liv's table."

Billy struggled to rein in the rampant need that was pulsing through his veins. Hands, palm down on the table, framing Dom's waist, Billy pulled deep, gulping breaths into his oxygen-starved lungs. "I'll never make it back to your house, Dommie."

"Your room?" Dom asked, carding his fingers through Billy's hair and pulling him close for a messy, open-mouthed kiss. "Please?"

Slipping out of Dom's embrace, Billy laced his fingers with Dom's, quickly pulled him up from the table, dragging the younger man out the kitchen door and onto the porch. Pausing long enough to press his lover against the wall, Billy nudged a leg between Dom's thighs and kissed him wetly. While the kiss was filled with violent, burning passion, the touch of Billy's fingers on Dom's skin was gentle and poignantly tender.

"Your room?" Dom pulled his mouth away from Billy's before he spoke.

Clasping Dom's face in both hands, Billy pressed his forehead against Dom's as he struggled to catch his breath and regain enough control to make it to his thankfully nearby and private quarters.

Breath rasping in the silence that surrounded them, they fought against the raging desire that burned through their bodies like a wildfire, but as they calmed and the silence grew, unmistakable sounds drifted on the air around them. Bed springs creaking. Muted sounds of purely feminine pleasure. Deeper groans of masculine need. The gentle thumping of heavy furniture moving in response to frantic movements.

Pulling back, Billy looked into Dom's eyes. Both realizing exactly what the sounds they were hearing were, it did nothing to dampen their ardor, and only served to fuel the blazing inferno that burned like a flashfire through Billy's veins.

Catching Dom's hand in his, Billy pulled his lover away from the wall and dragged him across the short, grassy expanse to the bunkhouse. Tugging insistently on Dom's hand, Billy guided Dom up the stairs, barely pausing until they reached his room. Billy's fingers were working at the buttons of Dom's blue jeans before they'd even made it through his doorway, and pushing the soft, worn denim open, Billy's hand delved into the open V of fabric, closing around Dom's aching length as he pressed him against the door.

Aligned against Dom from shoulders to hips, Billy's erection thrust rhythmically into Dom's hip, calloused fingers sliding along the slick, wet length of Dom's leaking arousal. Billy's lips fastened onto Dom's throat, licking and sucking hungrily.

Dom whimpered brokenly. Each grinding, gyrating thrust of Billy's hips pushed him forcefully against the door, causing it to rattle heavily on it's hinges, each movement banging the solid panel against the wall noisily.

The rhythmic thudding of the door slowly penetrated Billy's passion addled mind, and fingers sliding down Dom's slender back, Billy gripped Dom's hips and backed into his room. Balancing Dom against the edge of a heavy oak chest of drawers, Billy swept his arm across the top of the cabinet, sending after shave, hair brushes and other toiletries clattering to the carpeted floor.

Dragged from his hazy, lust induced reverie, Dom's hands struggled with the heavy silver belt buckle at Billy's waist, and once finally open, finesse the furthest thing from Dom's mind, he gripped the waist band and pulled both sides desperately. The buttons popped open quickly, and as his long, elegant fingers pushed inside the elastic of Billy's boxer shorts, Dom's quivering hands shoved the fabric down until Billy's pants and jeans fell to the floor around his ankles.

Reaching out blindly, Billy's hand grabbed at the edge of the open door and pushed it closed forcefully. The resulting window-rattling slam enclosed them both in the privacy Billy's room provided, and Billy's mouth covered Dom's, even as Dom's fingers closed around his leaking, aching arousal.

"Honey," Billy gasped, his hips thrusting into Dom's grasp desperately. "Stop, please. Too close."

Pulling his hand away, Dom's lust-glazed eyes searched Billy's face. As Billy struggled with Dom's jeans, Dom reached behind him, his hands finding the dark wood edging the antique mirror behind him. Long fingers closed around the wood as Dom levered his hips up enough for Billy to pull the worn denim down his legs.

As Dom's jeans caught around his ankles, Billy's trembling fingers struggled to pull the boots from his lover's feet. One heavy leather boot dropped to the ground, already forgotten as Billy pushed the tangled denim from Dom's foot, and once the leg was free, Billy's fingers gripped Dom's buttocks and pulled him closer. Their erections met slickly between them as Billy rocked his hips into Dom, longing for friction and contact.

Arms stretched behind him, gripping the mirror and balancing on the edge of the cabinet, Dom thrust his hips desperately up into Billy's touch. With one small hand on Dom's angular hip, Billy leaned forward to catch Dom's mouth in a kiss that barely met, tongues dueling, hot breath mingling.

Hungry for the release that was already roaring through his trembling body, Billy reached between them and closed his quivering fingers around their throbbing erections. His eyes rolled back in his head as the sensation of hot, slick stroking filled his consciousness.

Heavy-lidded eyes watching Billy's wanton response hungrily and muscular arms quaking as he struggled to hold himself upright, Dom pushed his hips up into Billy's grasp. Seeing Billy's unconscious, wanton response was Dom's ultimate undoing. Dom's long legs, one wrapped in a hot pink sock, the other enclosed in a boot and trailing heavy denim, wrapped around Billy's hips, pulling him closer until Billy's thighs slapped against the front of the cabinet with every slick, rasping jerk of his fingers around their arousals.

Pushing into Billy's embrace, Dom's eyes focused on his lover's face, the perspiration dotting his pale skin, cherubic lips pressed together into a tight line as he struggled to hold himself together. Eyes closed and his head thrown back in wanton abandon, desperate moans escaped Billy with every thrusting stroke.

Dom's feet drummed against Billy's buttocks, a litany of begging, pleading words tumbling from his kiss swollen lips and piercing the lusty haze that shrouded Billy. Unable to withstand the wanton pleas of his lover, Billy's hand tightened on their mutual erections, his stroking fingers pulling on their slick flesh erratically as he let go of his tightly held control.

Watching Billy, Dom knew the instant he gave into the fire burning through him, and even as his own climax screamed through his body, Dom's legs tightened around Billy. Feeling Billy's pulsing release, spurting warmly across his belly, Dom's release followed rapidly. Glancing down, Dom watched his own release trickling across Billy's fingers before looking back up into Billy's face.

Billy's body sagged limply, and Dom's arms instantly released their grip on the mirror, folding around Billy's shoulders and holding him upright against his own body until Billy had control over his limbs again.

"Did someone mention a bed?" Dom whispered breathily into Billy's hair.

"Was too far away." Billy spoke into Dom's chest, his breath heaving.

"Might be a nice option now." Dom smiled against Billy's cheek as his fingers tilted Billy's face up to meet his before kissing him gently.

Drawing a deep breath that steadied the trembling of his limbs, Billy closed his arms around Dom's waist, lifting him. With lips fastened on Dom's mouth kissing him tenderly, Billy's burning passion was temporarily abated, and stepping backward to carry Dom to his bed, Billy's feet tangled in his own forgotten clothing and they both toppled.

For Dom, time seemed to slow. Alarmed by their sudden descent, he saw the rapid approach of the thickly carpeted floor and the shock on Billy's face. His own brow furrowed deeply, one hand moving to cover the back of Billy's head, the other reaching forward, trying vainly to slow their descent and absorb some of the impact.

Twisting himself in Billy's arms as they collided with the soft carpeting, Dom's head whipped forward to knock sharply against Billy's forehead. The impact knocked the breath from both of them, Dom's hands preventing Billy's head from hitting the floor. Struggling to catch the breath that the fall had knocked from his lungs, the first thing Dom became aware of was Billy rolling him onto his back, and a sharp pain in his wrist.

"Honey?" Billy murmured gently, his fingers tracing over Dom's forehead, coming away smeared with warm, wet blood. "I'm so sorry, Honey."

"I'm alright, Billy," Dom said, quickly flexing his aching wrist, ensuring himself that he was only bruised and jarred, not broken.

"You're bleeding," Billy stated. "Where does it hurt, Honey?" He paused as realization dawned on him. "I hurt you."

Looking up into Billy's worried face, Dom's brow furrowed, and a moment later, Dom was pulling his shirt over his head roughly, pressing it against the still healing wound on Billy's temple that was oozing fresh, red blood.

"I think technically, darling, I hurt you." Dom leaned forward to press a soft kiss to Billy's lips, urging Billy to lay back down.

"I'm sorry," Billy murmured, relaxing against the floor, hand pressing Dom's t-shirt to his head while his other hand smoothed Dom's hair back from his forehead, proving to himself that Dom wasn't bleeding. "You okay?" he asked, thumb brushing across the already forming bruise on Dom's forehead.

Tasting the coppery tang of blood in his mouth, Dom trailed his tongue around the inside of his lips and finding the jagged tear where his teeth had pierced the skin when their heads connected, he licked it cautiously. Stretching his limbs experimentally and discovering that one knee ached, Dom guessed it was from being first impact with the floor, and although his wrist was already swelling slightly, it didn't hurt too badly.

Looking back into Billy's face, Dom smiled. "Would appear that aside from the odd ache, I'm pretty good." He chuckled. "But I did have a fairly impressive cushion for landing."

"Good," Billy murmured before closing his eyes, allowing himself to relax. "Don't want to hurt you."

"I'm glad you've got thick carpet, or I'd be worried about you hurting something vital," Dom replied cheekily. "You hurt anywhere other than your head?"

Billy mentally checked his body. One hip ached, his shoulder throbbed annoyingly and a jackhammer was starting up inside his head, but for the most par he felt fine, except for the embarrassment of causing their fall.

"Never had anyone fall for me before," Dom murmured as he nuzzled into Billy's neck.

"Then we're square. I'm never tripped over my own feet before," Billy replied, fingers stroking Dom's bare back.

Leaning up on his elbow, Dom moved over Billy, his hand gently batting Billy's fingers away to check on his wound. Seeing that the slowly oozing blood had almost stopped, Dom sat upright. Reaching down to push his boot and tangled jeans off his foot, Dom leaned forward and slipped Billy's boots off his feet, then disposed of the denim tangle around his ankles. Skin flushing as Billy's hands stroked his bare back, Dom turned towards his lover and smiled, and Dom's fingers found the tangle of soft curling hair on Billy's chest as he finally spoke.

"How does bed sound?"

"Better than the floor," Billy replied.

Rising lithely to his feet, Dom extended a hand to Billy, waiting as it was folded into Billy's and pulled the cowboy gently to his feet.

"Okay?" Dom asked, his fingers tracing across Billy's face, looking into his eyes.

"I'm fine, Honey," Billy replied, arms sliding around Dom's waist before resting his head against Dom's shoulder.

Content to be encircled in Billy's embrace Dom's arms looped around Billy's waist and drew their bodies closer as his eyes drifted around the room that Billy called home. A queen sized bed with a thick, sky blue bedspread was the only color in a room filled with heavy and dark, antique furniture. Tears glistened in Dom's eyes as he realized that Billy lived in such an impersonal space. Surrounded by some of the most beautiful country in the world, and friends and family that loved him unconditionally, Billy tried to stop himself feeling anything, from connecting to something as frivolous as as possessions. A heartbreaking sigh escaped Dom's lips at the realization.

"That was a big sigh, Honey," Billy stated against the skin of Dom's neck.

"Was nothing," Dom replied with a shrug. "Didn't you promise me a bed?"

Untangling himself from Dom's arms, Billy moved the few steps to the mattress and flicked back the coverlet before extending a hand to Dom.

Reaching out to lace his fingers with Billy's, Dom crawled into the bed with him. Curled against Billy's side, Dom listened to Billy’s heartbeat, his fingers curling in the furry mat of hair on Billy's chest as Billy's breathing slowed, and he drifted off to sleep.

[Chapter 26](http://community.livejournal.com/monaboyd/1647573.html)


	29. Western Lovers: Cowboys and Archaeologists 26/33

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Billy is a man to be reckoned with. Can Dom heal his wounded soul and his own into the bargain. Could Billy make him forget the bitter lessons of the past?

_**FIC: Western Lovers: Cowboys and Archaeologists 26/33**_  
  


[](http://photobucket.com)

  
 **Title:** Western Lovers: Cowboys and Archaeologists 26/33  
 **Author:** [](http://sassywitch.livejournal.com/profile)[**sassywitch**](http://sassywitch.livejournal.com/)  
 **Pairing:** BB/DM with a smattering of VM/LT and DW/OB  
 **Rating:** NC-17, to be on the safe side.  
 **Summary:** Billy is a man to be reckoned with. Can Dom heal his wounded soul and his own into the bargain. Could Billy make him forget the bitter lessons of the past?  
 **Feedback:** Feedback is my writers crack, which is not to be confused at all with plumbers crack.  
 **Disclaimer:** Not at all true in reality. These men whilst adorable and perfectly happy to slash themselves, their actual relationship is something that they only know. This story is adapted from a series of books that I adored when I was younger written by Elizabeth Lowell.  
 **Word Count:** 2972  
 **Header Art:** Courtesy of the incredibly talented [](http://loki-girl.livejournal.com/profile)[**loki_girl**](http://loki-girl.livejournal.com/)  
 **Previous Chapters:** can be found [Here](http://www.livejournal.com/tools/memories.bml?user=sassywitch&keyword=Western+Lovers&filter=all)  
 **A/N:** A huge thank you to [](http://dylan-dufresne.livejournal.com/profile)[**dylan_dufresne**](http://dylan-dufresne.livejournal.com/) for the inspiration, the prodding and the beta. She really deserves far more credit than just beta. This fic wouldn't be what it is without her labour of love. My grammar sucks really, really badly so she had to suffer it so nobody else would. Next Chapter on Monday. I'm not going to be able to post any more chapters until next Monday, I'm having a short hospital stay so I'm going to have limited to no internet access for 48 hours from wednesday morning, and it won't even be my computer. So, regretfully, I won't be able to post chapter 27 until next Monday. Forgive me?

~*~*~*~*~*~ 

  
Thunder cracked with a noise like rock shearing away from tall cliff faces, a naked violence of sound that made Arwen Canyon tremble in the night.

Easing out of the blankets he shared with Dom, Billy went to stand at the edge of the overhang. The chilly night air took the heat from his body, but he barely noticed the temperature, because the smell, taste and sound of the wind told him all that he needed to know. He and Dom would have to pack up and cross Aragorn Wash before dawn.

Unfortunately, Billy had counted on spending the hour before dawn quite differently.

"Sorry, Honey," Billy said, his voice gritty with hunger and regret. "We've got a lot of packing to do, and not much time to do it in."

Dom bit back his protest even as it formed. The storm didn't care if it were cutting short his last hours with Billy in Arwen Canyon. The storm didn't care if he had woken hard and longing for his gentle, tender lover as he had watched him silhouetted against the roiling steel grey sky, completely naked.

Silently, Dom kicked off the blankets and began pulling on clothes, shivering as the cold wind washed over his body. Working by the light of the gas lantern, Dom packed quickly, forcing himself not to think how this day was different from any day that had come before or would come after.

As soon as Dom's personal gear was packed, he began working on the artifacts that were to be taken back to the ranch. He packed slowly and carefully, saying goodbye with his fingertips to the ancient pots and stone axes, fiber sandals and bone implements that he had come to know as well as he knew the less textured camping equipment of his own time and culture. When each box was ready, Dom set it aside for Billy to carry to the truck. Periodic lightning shattered the black sky. Thunder rang out repeatedly, in a barrage that nearly deafened. Dom ignored it, working steadily, thinking only of the task at hand. As he reached for another empty box, he found Billy's hand instead. Startled, Dom looked up.

At first Dom thought what he heard was the wind, a low muttering kind of sound. Then he realized that he was hearing water. Aragorn Wash was filling. Fast.

"Is it still safe to cross?" Dom asked, unable to suppress the hope in his voice. If the wash wasn't safe, they would be forced to stay on this side until the water went down.

As though Dom had spoken his hope aloud, Billy shook his head. "This is a big storm. Liv will fret, and then Viggo will send men out in Hell's own rain to look for us. I don't want anyone getting hurt looking for people who could've, and should've gotten back to the ranch on their own."

Just then, the sky exploded into twisting, wildly writhing forks of lightning, and barely four seconds later, thunder hammered down.

"Time to go, Honey."

Dom closed his eyes against the pain that was lancing through him as surely as the lightning sliced through the clouds.

Thunder filled Arwen Canyon, followed by a gust of rain-scented wind that made the pinions moan. No rain was falling, but there was no doubt that it would. Soon.

Billy opened the passenger door for Dom and as he helped the younger man up into the cab, Dom's chest pressed against the lean, male hand that wrapped around his upper arm, nipple brushing against his knuckles. Though the contact was accidental, it made every one of Dom's nerve endings shimmer, and when he tried to fasten his seat belt, his hands were clumsy with the sudden rush of his blood.

Billy climbed in, saw Dom's difficulty and said, "Let me. That belt mechanism is getting kind of cranky. First you have to slack off and let it retract all the way. Like this."

Taking the metal tongue from Dom's fingers, Billy's then followed the retreat of the harness across his lap. The sound of Dom's indrawn breath was as much an inadvertent caress as Billy's hand skimmed across his body in the wake of the buckle's metal tongue. Billy's fingers brushed lightly against Dom's arousal when he pulled the harness across Dom's lap once more, and his hand hesitated for a breathless instant before moving on. Inserting the metal tongue into the locking mechanism, Billy drew in a harsh breath as a subdued click broke the taut silence.

"See? Perfect fit." Billy's voice was low, gritty, his accent thick and guttural.

Touching Dom's mouth with his thumb and swearing softly, it was was clear that Billy wanted him. And Dom wanted Billy. It was in Billy's intense green eyes, the tightness of his body, and in the huskiness of the few words he had spoken. Billy gave Dom a quick, hard kiss and forced himself to concentrate on other things, while he still had the discipline to do it.

Driving to the wash and then bringing the truck to a full stop at the edge, Billy studied the water carefully and bit off a vicious curse. There was no doubt about it, no ignoring it. The wash was definitely still safe to cross.

Shifting the truck into gear, Billy drove into the water, and as soon as he reached the other side, he spoke without looking at Dom.

"Hang on. I'm going to drive hard to get ahead of the storm."

The road was dry and familiar, its occasional vagaries and hazards well-known to Billy. Holding the big truck to a punishing pace, boring through the predawn darkness, Billy concentrated on outrunning the storm outside the truck, ignoring the one within for as long as he could.

Finally, the truck climbed up a steep hill for the long run across Aragorn Mesa. For a time, the road snaked along the very edge of the highland, giving a breathtaking vista of predawn light locked in luminous embrace with a high, slowly seething lid of clouds. The tenuous light was eerie, astonishingly flawless, utterly without color, and Billy stopped the truck at a point where the road gave an uninterrupted view of the dark land below.

"We're an hour ahead of the rain now. I know how much the weather is a part of you, and I thought you might like to watch the storm," Billy said, releasing his seat belt. "Want some coffee?"

Dom made a murmurous sound of approval that could have meant the view, the idea of coffee, or both. By the dim illumination of the dashboard lights, Billy opened a thermos and poured coffee, and a clean, rich fragrance filled the cab. Billy handed the half full cup to Dom, who refused it with a shake of his head.

"You first," Billy insisted.

"Afraid of poison?" Dom asked huskily. He forced himself to smile, concealing the sadness that had grown greater with each mile that had flown beneath the trucks broad tires.

Billy's own smile flashed briefly. "No, but I've discovered that coffee tastes sweeter if you drink out of my cup before I do."

Murmuring Billy's name softly, Dom bent his head and sipped the hot liquid, his eyes fixed on Billy's as he trailed his tongue across the rim of the mug. Flicking off the lights, Billy killed the engine and rolled down his window. Cool air flowed across the cab, the air filled with the scent of the unfettered land. In silence, the lovers passed the cup of coffee between them while spectral light slowly filled the space between clouds and earth, transforming everything, infusing the air with radiance.

"Spirit light," Billy said finally.

Dom looked at him questioningly.

"That's what my grandmother called it. The kind of light that enables you to see right through to the soul of everything."

Thunder belled again, filling the canyon.

"How did you end up here?" Dom asked softly.

"When I got out of the warrior business, I was like David, hurting and not knowing what to do about it, needing a home and not knowing how to get one. Viggo's father was selling off chunks of the Double L to pay for his drinking. I bought in. The ranch has been my home ever since."

Dom waited, but Billy said no more, and eventually, he followed Billy's gaze out the windshield, noticing that the land lay beneath the storm like a woman, waiting for her lover. Though no rain had fallen, the storm had brought an eerie glow to the air, a timeless gloaming that made all distances equal. There were no shadows to define near and far, no suns passage to mark hours across the sky, no waxing or waning moon to measure weeks, nothing but the eye and the mind of man to draw distinctions.

"Spirit light," Billy said, his voice harsh. "When you see everything too damn clearly."

Gazing at Dom and seeing far too much, Billy's hunger clawed at him, telling him that he would remember Dom too long, too well.

Looking away from the eerie clarity of the land, Dom saw Billy watching him with green eyes that burned.

"What are you thinking?" Dom asked before he could stop himself.

"I'm remembering."

"What?"

"How you look when your skin is flushed with heat and you're as hungry for me as I am for you," Billy whispered huskily. "How you look right now."

Knowing he shouldn't, yet unable to stop himself, Billy slid partway across the big seat, took the coffee cup from Dom's hand and set it on the dashboard. Dom's smoky blue gaze went from Billy's eyes to the clean, distinct shape of his perfect mouth, and even as Dom leaned toward him, Billy pulled Dom closer, turning him so that he was half laying across Billy's lap. Murmuring Dom's name, Billy's mouth came down over Dom's parted lips, filling him with his taste and his hunger, wordlessly telling Dom about the need that would make the coming days restless, and the nights endless.

Dom gave back the kiss without restraint, loving the taste of Billy, coffee and man and passion, and then the kiss deepened further, becoming an urgent mating of mouths. When Dom felt the hard warmth of Billy's palms sliding beneath his shirt, he twisted sinuously, bringing his nipples closer to Billy's questing hands, and Billy's fingers stroked, caressed, teased until exquisite sensations radiated from Dom's overly sensitive nipples to the hard ridge of his arousal, melting his nerves in a few shuddering moments.

With a soft whimper, Dom began to move against Billy's body, feeling rather than heard the rasping groan he gave when Billy's hand released the buttons on his shirt, allowing Billy the freedom of his  
smooth chest. Pushing away the loose shirt, Billy looked down at Dom, and flushed by passion, Dom's golden chest was laid out beneath him covered in a thin sheen of perspiration small nipples pert and tight, begging for Billy's mouth.

"Honey?"

"Yes?" Dom whispered huskily, raising his arms and arching his back as he struggled to lose his shirt.

Billy didn't wait for Dom to finish, and instead he kissed one peaked nipple and licked it with catlike delicacy, then gave into the need driving him. Mouth opening over Dom's chest in a caress that sent sensual lightning glittering through him, Billy heard a ragged cry as Dom disentangled his arms and held his lovers' head against his chest, asking for and receiving a different, harder caress.

Even as Billy's mouth sent forerunners of ecstasy shimmering through Dom, Billy's hands closed on his narrow hips, shifting Dom until he was sitting astride Billy's lap. One hard palm slid between Dom's legs, cupping him, stroking him, making him burn, and sweet cries rippled from Dom, fanning the fire consuming Billy, cries that made Billy wild with need. Unfastening the front of Dom's jeans and pushing his hand into the loosened denim, Billy hungrily forced aside cloth until he found the hard arousal that he needed to touch more than he needed air to breathe.

And then Billy's fingers closed around what he sought. Billy took as much as he could of Dom's hardness and wanted more, much, much more, his body straining and his breath little more than a groan. The hoarse sound Dom made, and the feel of him struggling against Billy's tightly stroking hand brought Billy to his senses. Closing his eyes, Billy took a tearing breath, afraid to look at Dom, afraid to see fear and horror in his eyes as he remembered another out of control man, the front seat of another vehicle.

"God, Dommie. Honey, I'm so sorry," Billy said hoarsely. "I've never lost control like that."

Billy heard Dom take a broken breath, and then another, and felt Dom's incredible hardness pressing against the hand that was still tangled in Dom's jeans. Very carefully, Billy dragged his hand free, and the broken sound that tumbled from Dom's lips scored Billy to his core.

"Honey, I'm sorry," Billy whispered, looking at Dom's wide eyes, wanting to cradle him and yet, afraid to touch him. "I didn't mean to frighten you."

"You didn't."

The words were like Dom's breathing – ragged. Billy shook his head, slowly, not quite believing him.

"I heard you," Billy said flatly. Mentally chastising himself for taking Dom back to the worst experience of his life, Billy drew a deep breath, trying to find the words to explain himself to his sweet lover.

Dom's long fingers pressed against his lips stopped Billy's stammering explanation before it even started.

"I wanted you – so much – it hurt. I didn't know it could be like that," Dom murmured throatily. "We've got so little time left. Every single touch, each kiss, each glance makes me burn for you, makes me feel physical pain without you."

The last word was spoken against Billy's lips just before he brought Dom's mouth to his own, and the kiss that followed was deep and searchingly wild. Dom returned it with a hunger that made both of them shake.

"If you kiss me like that again," Billy said finally, breathing hard, "I'm going to start taking off those boots you're wearing."

"My boots?"

"And then your jeans," Billy said, sliding his hand inside denim once more, searching for Dom's hardness, finding it and drawing liquid fire with a rippling sound of pleasure from the younger man.

"I want you. Right here, right now. Do you want me like that?"

With fingers that trembled, Dom reached blindly for his bootlaces, and Billy made a low sound as his hand closed more tightly around Dom's hardness. Smiling almost savagely, Billy savored Dom's body and the ragged breaking of his breath, each movement Dom made as he worked over his laces increasing the pressure of his caresses.

Billy made no move to help Dom with the boots, for his other hand was too busy stroking the hard little peaks of Dom's nipples to be bothered with such unrewarding objects as boots and socks.

One boot and then the other fell to the floor of the truck, followed by the rustling whisper of socks before Dom slowly shifted his body to the side, not wanting to end the wild seduction of Billy's hand, but at the same time, aching to be free of the confinement of his jeans.

This time Billy helped, lifting Dom and peeling the rest of his clothes away, letting them fall to the floor. Shivering with heat rather than cold as he sat astride Billy once more, Dom looked down at his lap and the man whose body was flushed with the passion he had aroused. Long elegant fingers then reached for Billy's belt buckle.

"Honey, if you start there, that's where you'll finish, Billy warned, his voice ragged. "I want you like Hell burning."

Dom looked deep into the hot green of Billy's eyes and knew if he didn't take Billy's boots off first, they wouldn't get taken off at all, and he wanted to feel Billy naked against him. Frantically thrusting and leaning down, Dom struggled to push Billy's boots off while a desperate Billy wriggled out of the confining denim.  
Kicking the unwanted fabric to the floor, immediately forgotten, Billy pressed himself against Dom hungrily, his mouth devouring  
Dom's desperately, hips rocking against his lithe body wantonly.

Pressing his fingers against Dom's lips, Billy slid them into Dom's mouth as he suckled them wetly. Billy's hand slid up Dom's thigh before he reached behind him and touched, tested, stroked and prepared the scalding need that was Dom's body.

"Yes," Dom whispered. "Like Hell burning."

Dom's fingers wrapped around Billy's taut arousal as he moved closer, their bodies sliding together, and then Dom discovered that Billy was there before him. Small fingers wrapping around Dom's and guiding him, Billy's slippery arousal tenderly pushed inside Dom as he watched Dom's eyes carefully. Overcome by sensation, Dom's breath unraveled into a low moan as he struggled to stay still, his body adjusting to Billy's size.

When Dom nodded, indicating that he was ready, Billy's hips lifted and drove up into him, burying himself in the clinging, generous heat that had haunted his dreams, and then ecstasy consumed him.

Hands gripped Dom's hips hard as Billy thrust deep inside of his lover, mouth against Dom's hot skin and his cries of pleasure washing over their entwined bodies, echoing the sweet lightning of his own release.

Locked within ecstasy, surrounded by the cruel clarity of spirit light, Billy knew this was the way he would always remember his Honey, and the realization was a knife turning, teaching him more about pain than he thought he already knew, and certainly more than he wanted to know.

[Chapter 27](http://community.livejournal.com/monaboyd/1650371.html)

  



	30. Western Lovers: Cowboys and Archaeologists 27/33

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Can one man break two? He just might be able to.

_**FIC: Western Lovers: Cowboys and Archaeologists 27/33**_  
  


[](http://photobucket.com)

  
 **Title:** Western Lovers: Cowboys and Archaeologists 27/33  
 **Author:** [](http://sassywitch.livejournal.com/profile)[**sassywitch**](http://sassywitch.livejournal.com/)  
 **Pairing:** BB/DM with a smattering of VM/LT and DW/OB  
 **Rating:** NC-17, to be on the safe side.  
 **Summary:** Can one man break two? He just might be able to.  
 **Feedback:** Feedback is my writers crack, which is not to be confused at all with plumbers crack.  
 **Disclaimer:** Not at all true in reality. These men whilst adorable and perfectly happy to slash themselves, their actual relationship is something that they only know. This story is adapted from a series of books that I adored when I was younger written by Elizabeth Lowell.  
 **Word Count:** 7402  
 **Header Art:** Courtesy of the incredibly talented [](http://loki-girl.livejournal.com/profile)[**loki_girl**](http://loki-girl.livejournal.com/)  
 **Previous Chapters:** can be found [Here](http://www.livejournal.com/tools/memories.bml?user=sassywitch&keyword=Western+Lovers&filter=all)  
 **A/N:** A huge thank you to [](http://dylan-dufresne.livejournal.com/profile)[**dylan_dufresne**](http://dylan-dufresne.livejournal.com/) for the inspiration, the prodding and the beta. She really deserves far more credit than just beta. This fic wouldn't be what it is without her labour of love. My grammar sucks really, really badly so she had to suffer it so nobody else would. Next Chapter on Monday. I'm back, hopefully you all survived without me for the week. Back to our regular schedule. Next chapter will be posted on Wednesday. I'm an hour early, courtesy of the fact I'm skulking off to bed. hope you enjoy.  


~*~*~*~*~*~ 

  
Resting his head back against the pillow, Dom watched the faint pink rays of sunrise begin to shimmer against the edges of the horizon. With Billy's head nestled in the curve of his neck and strong arm wrapped around Dom's chest, their legs entwined, Dom's fingers carded absently through Billy's hair as he struggled not to give in to the emotions choking him.

Billy had fought against the sleep that had claimed him only minutes earlier, but Dom refused to miss a moment, because to close his eyes now would end the night. Their last night. Eyes wet with tears, Dom let them follow Billy's body as it wrapped around him, cataloguing what had to be a lifetime of his Billy, in what were becoming their final hours. If only tonight would never end.

Desperate to make the night last forever, Dom rolled them carefully until Billy lay on his back, his head supported by the soft pillows as Dom's fingers traced his face gently. Eyes following the movement of his fingers across Billy's skin, Dom was unaware of the occasional tear releasing its hold on his lashes, splashing on Billy's scruffy cheek and trickling into the sparse beard.

"Dommie," Billy murmured without opening his eyes, his voice thick with emotion and lethargy. "You need to sleep. How will you drive?"

"I'll cope," Dom whispered in reply. "I don't want to waste my last night with you."

"Dommie-" Billy started to speak, then trailed off. "Don't do this Honey, please?" he murmured, the pain in his own voice as tangible as the pain in Dom's eyes.

"Not doin' anything, Billy." Dom spoke softly, sliding down to press his lips against Billy's furry chest, his teeth catching the hair and tugging gently. "I'm making memories, that's all."

"Dom, please," Billy almost pleaded, his eyes squeezed tightly closed. "Don't."

"You won't let us have forever, Billy." Dom shrugged, his tongue trailing around one of Billy's pert nipples. "At least let me have a little bit more now."

"Dommie." Billy moaned, his head turning on the pillow as he opened his eyes slowly, watching the indigo sky pinkening at its edges, their time together reducing slowly to minutes. "It won't work, Dommie. You have to leave today. We both know it." His fingers tangled in Dom's mussed hair.

"I could stay one more day. We can do that." Dom looked up to search Billy's face. "Why won't you look at me, Billy?"

"You can't, Dom." Billy sighed. "You have classes to give on Monday. I have work to do here. It'll only delay what we know is coming."

"So I won't have as much prep time," Dom murmured, his hand cupping Billy's chin and turning his head, watching as Billy's eyes fell closed again. "Look at me, Billy."

"I can't, Honey." Billy shook his head.

"It's simple, Bill," Dom whispered moving to straddle Billy. "Open your eyes, I'm right here in front of you." He paused, waiting for Billy's eyes to open. "Why won't you look, Billy? I swear I won't fall to pieces. At least not while you're looking."

"That's not it." Billy shook his head, opening tear-glazed eyes slowly. "I know you think I'm a bastard for sending you away, but this hurts me as much….more than it hurts you."

"Then don't," Dom suggested quickly.

"Don't, Dom." Billy shook his head, looking away. "We've had this discussion already and I don't want to fight with you. Not when we have so little time left."

"Then look at me, Billy," Dom whispered against his lips. "Give me the memories I need to live on for the rest of my life. Tell me you love me. Show me you love me. Look at me and make love with me."

"I'm not strong enough to let you go if I lose myself in your eyes, Honey."

"Then I'll make it easy for you." Dom leaned over and retrieved a soft satin scarf from around the bedrails. "You don't need to look," Dom murmured as he fastened the silken blue fabric around Billy's head.

"Dommie?" Billy inquired as his fingers plucked at the cloth and then pulled it off. "Please, Honey, don't do this, not like this."

"You don't want to see me," Dom said as he shrugged. "I'm just making it easy for you."

"You don't understand, Dom." Billy pulled the younger man down into a tight embrace. "Every minute more makes this harder. Every single touch. Every word. Every thought. It's not just seeing you. It's knowing you. It's loving you. Sending you away cuts to my core, Honey, but I have to do it." Looking up into Dom's eyes, Billy's hands held Dom's face gently. "And if it's what you need, I won't steal a second of it from you by not looking."

Dom leaned in to press a kiss to Billy's lips, then nestled his face into Billy's shoulder, his hands trailing up and down Billy's bare sides.

"I'm sorry, Billy. I don't want to hurt you any more than you want to hurt me," Dom murmured. "Go back to sleep, Billy. I'm sorry."

"Don't be sorry, Dom." Billy replied. "Ever. I'm the one that should be sorry."

"No." Dom lifted his head and looked deeply into Billy's sad green eyes. "Don't. You taught me how to love, you taught me what love is, physically and spiritually. You gave me, me. You're the most important person to ever come into my life, Billy, and I will always love you…" He broke off as Billy's fingers touched his lips.

"Shh," Billy murmured. "I want you to sleep, Honey, just for a little while, so I don't have to worry about you falling asleep at the wheel. Then when you wake…." He paused. "We'll make love one last time."

"Don't you understand? That's why I can't sleep." Dom rolled away, lying on his back, looking at the roof. "Every time you say that…." He breathed deeply, composing himself before he spoke again. "Dammit Billy. Every time you say that, you're not here when I wake up. If I sleep, it's all over. I don't…can't let us end. Not yet."

"I'll be here, Dom." Billy closed his eyes. "All the willpower in the world couldn't drag me away from you this morning."

"I know you don't mean to fuck with my mind, Billy, but you do. I understand why, I just…." Dom trailed off, rolling back against Billy and wrapping his arm around his waist tightly. "Please be here when I wake up," he murmured as he closed his eyes.

"I will be, Honey," Billy crooned softly, his fingers caressing along Dom's bare spine as he felt Dom surrender into restless sleep. "I will be."

Billy held Dom tightly in his arms until he was sure the younger man was asleep. Lifting Dom's arm gently, Billy slid out from under him, replacing the warmth of his body with a thick, fluffy pillow against Dom's slender body.

"I'm sorry, Dommie," Billy murmured as he dropped to his knees at the bedside and pressed a tender kiss to Dom's forehead. "I'll be back, Honey, I swear."

Silently, in the corner of the room, his eyes hardly leaving his sleeping lover, Billy pulled on his jeans and slid Dom's discarded t-shirt over his head. Moving into the next room, Billy paused at the small mountain of boxes and cases positioned beside the door. His fingertips traced the top of one of the boxes thoughtfully before he shook his head and propped open the front door.

Methodically, Billy loaded Dom's belongings into the back of his car.

"You're still going through with this, you silly bastard?"

A deep voice shattered the quiet from beside Billy as he closed the hatchback of Dom's car, head pressed against the chrome casing along the window as he struggled against his turbulent emotions.

"Fuck off, Dais," Billy growled. "'m so not in the mood."

"Can see that," Daisy remarked and then nodded. "Can see the way to fix it, too."

"Not now Daisy, please," Billy replied, almost begging.

"If not now, when?" Daisy asked dryly. "In a year or two when you're both hurting so badly you hurt each other worse? In fifteen years when the hurt has turned to hate? Or maybe never, when it's too late for both of you?

"It was too late the minute we met, Dais," Billy answered.

"You're such a stubborn fucker. You don't need to do this. He loves you, you love him. The rest is gravy."

"Daisy, please." Billy drew a deep breath. "I can't fight him and you, too."

David shook his head, his eyes reflecting the sadness he wasn't even attempting to hide from his older brother.

"What can I do to help?" Opening his arms to Billy, David pulled him into a tight embrace.

"Nothing," Billy said, his voice muffled against David's chest. "Everything," he whispered as he pulled free of David's embrace.

"Since you're so intent on sending him away, I'm taking you to town today. It's the rattlesnake roping contest. Perfect time to get you wasted enough to forget for a little while."

"I've got work to do," Billy protested, shaking his head, eyes darting towards the ranch house.

"You won't have any cowhands if you pull that moody shit with them, Pip," David interjected firmly." Take a day to drown your pain."

"Fine." Billy waved his arms in acquiescence "Whatever," he added as he walked back towards Dom's house. Stopping dead in his tracks at the bottom of the steps he turned back to his brother. "Thanks, Daisy."

"No problem." David shrugged. " 'm your brother." He grinned, though the smile didn't quite reach his eyes. "It's my job." He paused. "And even if it wasn't, I'd still be here for you."

"Shithead." Billy would have laughed, if his heart wasn't breaking.

Turning to walk up the steps and then spinning back around, Billy looked at David questioningly.

"What's wrong?" David asked, a frown furrowing his brow.

"I can't make him leave and make sure he's….." Billy broke off, struggling to find the words.

"Already done," David replied with a nod. "He's practically family, Pip. I'll make sure he's okay."

"Thanks." Billy said, bowing his head slightly.

"Go and say goodbye properly," David advised huskily. "If you make sure your hands are busy, I'll make sure the ranch hands are occupied elsewhere."

"Thanks, Daisy." Billy said and then slipped back through the door, closing it behind him.

Before he had even reached the bedroom, Billy's boots were gone and his jeans were unfastened. At the foot of the bed, Billy slid the material down his hips and stepped out of the rumpled denim before pulling the soft blue shirt over his head. Pressing the cotton to his face briefly, inhaling both Dom's and his own scent, Billy then gently tossed it on top of his jeans.

Lifting the sheet carefully, Billy slid in alongside Dom, pulled the pillow gently from Dom's arms and fit himself into the new hollow in Dom's embrace.

"Mmmmmm," Dom mumbled sleepily. "Your feet are cold."

"Sorry, Honey. Bathroom floor is cold."

Billy winced internally at the lie that had tumbled off his lips, and his arms closed around Dom tightly, pressing his mouth against Dom's, desperate to be as close to Dom as he possibly could be.

"I could warm them up," Dom whispered against Billy's face.

"You could," Billy murmured, punctuating his words with kisses. "But maybe I want to warm you up."

"I can always do with Billy warming," Dom replied teasingly, his fingers trailing down Billy's bare arm. "Think you're hot enough?"

"I think I can manage it." Billy let his fingers trail across Dom's face slowly, his fingertips memorizing every pore.

"Billy," Dom murmured and waited until Billy looked up at him, his green eyes crystalline with his sorrow. "Don't be sad. Please?"

"Not," Billy answered, his voice breathy and whispered. "Making my own memories, Honey."

"Then let me make them for you, my love," Dom whispered as he curled his leg over Billy's bare body, his growing arousal rubbing against Billy's thigh as he undulated his hips. "If you're determined to do this, I want to give you a memory that you'll never lose. Let me make love to you, Bills." Dom nuzzled his nose against Billy's neck. "Let me make us both memories we can hold forever."

"Yes…." Billy sighed against Dom's slightly scruffy cheek.

"I want you to remember me inside you, Sweetheart," Dom whispered into Billy's hair. "I want to remember the feeling of being inside you, one last time. Feeling your body gripping me. To be where I belong, just one more time."

"You know I can't say no to you, Dommie," Billy groaned against Dom's mouth.

"This isn't about me." Dom stated, lips beginning to trail a wet path across Billy's face and neck. "It's about you and giving you enough pleasure to last a lifetime."

"You're wrong, Dommie," Billy sighed, tilting his head back, giving Dom greater access as his fingers combed through tousled blonde hair. "It's about us." His voice faltered as Dom's nimble fingers found his hard nipple and twisted it playfully.

"Then best we don't waste any time," Dom murmured, his lips trailing across Billy's belly, teeth catching at the thin layer of furry hair and tugging gently.

"Dommie, come back up here," Billy moaned as Dom's mouth trailed lower, ignoring Billy's rigid erection and lathing a wet path along his thighs.

"No. Let me have this, Billy," Dom replied, punctuating his words with wet, licking kisses "Let me give this to you."

Squeezing his eyes closed, Billy's hips arched off the bed, silently begging Dom to touch him.

Sitting upright, straddling Billy's knees, Dom's fingers danced up and down Billy's hips and thighs. "Twelve weeks ago, I never would have dreamed that I would be here. That I could ever doing this, loving you, needing you, craving to touch you more than I need to breath. Needing you like I do. You've given me that, Billy." Sliding across Billy's quivering thighs, wrapping around his leaking erection, Dom's fingers closed loosely around Billy, sliding along his length slowly. "If this is our last time, this is all I have to give you."

"Dommie….please!" Those were the only coherent words Billy could force past his trembling lips.

Dom's fingers slid along Billy's glistening length, tightening obscenely as they squeezed. Stroking hard and fast, Dom's thumb swirled around the fluid-slick tip, over and over, his weight holding Billy's hips against the mattress. Billy's strength fought against him, struggling to push up into Dom's touch, craving more.

"For God's sake, Dommie," Billy moaned. "Please…God help me….you're killing me!" His lower body struggled to arch into Dom's touch.

"Then you don't need this?" Dom asked in a low whisper, his eyes nearly black with need as he slid further down Billy's legs, pinning them tightly together. Soulful blue-gray eyes never leaving Billy's passionate green, Dom lowered his head, extending his long tongue and flicked it across Billy's slick tip before closing his lips around the head of Billy's throbbing arousal.

The back of his hand pressed against his mouth muffled the strangled scream that Billy fought not to release, and it took all of Dom's strength to press Billy's hips back into the mattress as he went bowstring taut under Dom's touch.

Billy's hands twisted to reach above him and find the rails at the head of the bed, clutching them in a white knuckled grip. His hips lifted and twisted beneath Dom's loving touch, Dom's thumbs caressing Billy's hipbones as he pressed him into the mattress. His tongue swirling around Billy's throbbing flesh even as his cheeks hollowed with the suction of his tight mouth.

His eyes fixed on Billy's, Dom slid one hand across his sweat-slick torso, fingertips finding a rosy nipple and flicking it slowly.

Lifting his mouth from Billy's flesh, Dom's tongue darted out to lick the glistening moisture from his lips.

"I want to taste you, Bills." Dom murmured his voice low and sultry

"Fuck me, Dommie," Billy gasped. "You…I….dammit," he almost whimpered, hips involuntarily arching up, desperately begging for Dom's renewed touch.

"We'll get to that, Billy," Dom murmured, letting his tongue flick across Billy's tip, pressing into the fluid-slick opening there. "First I want to taste you."

As Dom's lips closed around Billy again, his cheeks hollowed, and he sucked ferociously, his tongue lathing across Billy's tip, as Billy fell to pieces beneath him.

Arms taut above his head and his knuckles white, Billy's nails pierced crescents into his palms as his eyes rolled back in his head and his hips arched, pushing himself deep into Dom's mouth, his hot release pulsing against Dom's tongue.

Dom licked at Billy's softening length slowly, releasing him from the tight, sucking cavern of his mouth and pressing tiny, wet kisses along Billy's flesh. Sliding up his body slowly, following the path of his kisses, Dom moved back towards Billy's mouth, and the kisses he needed like air to breathe.

Swirling his tongue around Billy's navel and across his furry belly, Dom trailed his mouth higher, suckling tightly on Billy's rosy nipples, tugging gently at the furry mat of hair, until finally his lips brushed across Billy's.

"Sweet heaven, Dommie," Billy sighed against Dom's lips, his hands moving to stroke the length of Dom's spine. "I love you so much."

Eyes glazed with unshed tears, Dom kissed Billy wetly, wondering if Billy realized that he had just confessed his love. Mouth sliding across Billy's in wet, open mouthed abandon, Dom's fingers  
tangle in Billy's damp curls, overwhelmed by Billy's unconscious, passionate confession.

"You know what, Billy?' Dom whispered against Billy's ear as he nipped and tugged at the velvety flesh of his earlobe. "You taste like heaven." He sighed, hips undulating slowly against Billy's.

"Because you take me there," Billy murmured, arching his neck, opening the smooth, taut lines of his throat to Dom's mouth, his fingers tracing the curve of Dom's hips, pulling him closer, legs wrapping around Dom's thighs as they writhed wantonly against each other.

"Dommie," Billy murmured as his small fingers touched Dom's aching flesh. "I want to feel you, deep inside me." His lips moved against Dom's neck as he suckled the smooth, golden flesh wetly. "So deep, Honey," he murmured.

Lifting his head to look into Billy's face, Dom's eyes were indigo blue with longing and glazed with his need, his kiss swollen lips smacking against Billy's cheek wetly before his husky voice, breathily whispered, "So deep there's no beginning and no end…..just us."

"You have no idea," Billy whispered, his hands stroking, caressing, touching, groping, slipping across sweat-slick muscles. "Just how badly I need that, Honey." His tongue licked wetly from the curve of Dom's shoulder to his earlobe and caught the flesh in his teeth, tugging it gently. "So badly."

Reluctantly pulling back from Billy's wet, suckling mouth and looking into his face, sweat glistening on his skin, Dom levered himself up, his heavy, insistent arousal rubbing against Billy's chest as his hips thrust erratically, slippery fluids smearing across Billy's furry, muscular body.

"Then turn over for me, Sweetheart," Dom murmured

"I want to watch your eyes, Dommie." Billy caught Dom's face in his hands. "When you're inside me, I want to see your beautiful eyes."

"You will, my love." Dom leaned forward to kiss Billy on the tip of his nose. "But first there's something I want to do," Dom explained, his eyes focused on Billy's. "Trust me….please?"

"With my life," Billy answered without hesitation.

Kissing Dom gently, Billy rolled over, head resting on his folded arms as Dom kissed the back of his neck. Wet, open mouthed kisses trailing down Billy's spine, Dom's long fingers massaging the taut muscles. His tongue swirled across the skin it passed, teeth nipping, lips kissing. Rising up onto his knees, Dom's tongue found the cleft of Billy's bottom. Delving into it slowly, he pushed his tongue between Billy's taut clenched buttocks before transferring his attention to one pale globe of Billy's ass.

"Relax, Sweetheart," Dom whispered, his breath against Billy's skin, sending shivers up Billy's spine.

"Don't think I ever will again," Billy moaned, his body taut with renewed need.

"I think you might." Dom smiled as his tongue licked a slow, wet path across one buttock, blowing on the moist skin he left. His tongue dipped into the cleft between Billy's buttocks and smiled as Billy's legs open wantonly.

Taking advantage of Billy's movements Dom let his tongue trail across the skin revealed. The tip of Dom's long, agile tongue rubbing back and forth across Billy's entrance sent a shockwave through the older man, and Billy's knees drew up under him, pushing his hips up to Dom's mouth while his hands groped forward for the wooden rails to cling to desperately. Moans tumbled from Billy's rosebud lips, over and over, the only discernible words, Dom's name and an affirmation of his own needs.

Billy's hips desperately arching towards him, Dom flicked his tongue faster before insistently pushing past the tight muscle at Billy's entrance, his long fingers pulling the pale globes of Billy's buttocks further open so he could plunge his tongue in, as deep as possible. Swirling, twisting, plunging, tasting, never still, Dom's fingers caressed the flesh they held, his warm breath blowing across the moisture left in his mouths' path.

Pulling away, drawing deep calming breaths, desperate to touch himself, his arousal pressed against his taut belly, Dom sucked his long fingers into his mouth, licking them, leaving them slick and wet. Pressing one finger against Billy's entrance, Dom pushed gently against the puckered muscle and slid slowly inside his lover's body. One long digit twisted and probed as Dom's lips pressed kisses along the curve of Billy's buttocks, licking and swirling his tongue across the dimples at the small of Billy's back.

"More," Billy growled hoarsely. "For the love of God, Honey," he almost sobbed. "I need you."

"You know what is even more addictive then your kisses?" Dom murmured, pulling his finger out.

"What?" Billy whimpered, rolling onto his back, his hips arching up, legs falling open wantonly, desperately searching for Dom's touch. "Please Dommie, don't tease."

"I know what a drug addict feels like," Dom sighed as he slowly slid his finger into Billy's body again, twisting and wriggling it as it plunged and withdrew in a teasing rhythm. "Hearing you beg for my touch is like a drug, Billy," Dom murmured, his mouth lowering to grind hard, wet kisses onto Billy's lips.

Billy's small hands gripped Dom's head in a tight embrace, pulling the younger man tighter against him, Billy's tongue plunging desperately into Dom's mouth, begging wordlessly for his Dom and the completion only he could give him. Dragging his mouth wetly from Dom's kiss swollen lips Billy moaned, "Please Dommie," Billy groaned against the scruffy cheek, teeth plucking at the hair there. "I need you inside me, so badly." He rocked his hips up to Dom's slowly plunging finger. "So badly I hurt. Please?"

Skin flushed and perspiration beaded, Dom slid a second finger into Billy's tight body, and scissoring them back and forth. Feeling Billy's body stretching and relaxing around his digits, Dom let his mouth trail across Billy's scruffy face and down his throat as Billy threw back his head, Dom's mouth suckling at his adam's apple.

Withdrawing his hand, Dom leaned back on his side, eyes searching Billy's face as Billy's whimpering, mewling sobs filled the air, hips arching up from the bed, desperately seeking something that was just outside his reach. Body taut and trembling, Billy's small hands grasped at Dom, pulling him closer, silently begging for the completion that Dom's touch promised.

Long fingers closed around Billy's throbbing erection, and sliding them along his slick length, Dom smiled, his heavy lidded eyes fixed on Billy's lips, as a stream of incoherent gibberish flowed from them. Billy's body arched from the bed, desperately pushing into the blessed friction of Dom's fingers.

"Faster," Billy groaned, his teeth gritted against the sensations coursing through his body. "Close…." His words trailed off, hips jerking up into Dom's hand. "Please," he begged brokenly. Hands groping across the sheets, Billy's trembling fingertips traveled along Dom's thighs, pulling at his hips, silently asking for more.

"Not yet, Sweetheart," Dom whispered into his ear, removing his hand as he leaned down to kiss Billy wetly. "Don't you want to wait for me?" he murmured into Billy's ear as he trailed the tip of his finger down Billy's length, pausing to brush back and forth across the leaking tip.

"Can't," Billy muttered through gritted teeth. "Need," he groaned.

"It's our last time, Sweetheart," Dom spoke against Billy's ear, teeth catching his earlobe and tugging on it. "Wait for me?"

Finally, Dom gave into the urge to touch his own aching arousal and watched Billy's eyes follow the path of his hand down as he wrapped his long fingers around his erection and stroked it roughly. At the sensation, a tortured sigh dragged from his lips.

Dom watched as Billy clamped his teeth together as his badly shaking hand moved to Dom's face, cupping his cheek tenderly as he nodded tightly. Tilting his head in agreement, Dom watched Billy's struggle to calm the inferno that was coursing through his veins, his body slowly sinking back down onto the bed, as inch by inch, Billy forced his body to relax.

"Please, Honey," Billy murmured "No more. Need you."

"I know, Sweetheart," Dom whispered as he moved to kneel between Billy's outstretched legs.

Resting his weight on his hands, Dom leaned forward pressing his lips against Billy's. Kissing him wetly, their tongues slid along each other, retreating and advancing, each giving and taking with equal abandon. Pulling away from Billy's swollen lips, eyes dark and glazed with need and passion, Dom watched his lover trembling beneath him, and lifting a hand to trail it across Billy's fevered skin, his lips turned up in a crooked grin.

"Ready?" Dom spoke gruffly, barely recognizing his own voice, filled with the rumbling velvet of his own passion.

Billy's eyes fluttered open, eyes almost black with need, his shaking hands caught Dom's face in his and pulled him down for a hot, wet kiss. Legs parted and wrapped around Dom's hips, urging him closer, Billy pulling Dom down to his body.

With one long fingered hand, Dom guided himself towards Heaven, and his fingertips brushed across Billy's entrance before his swollen arousal took their place. Dom's hand trailed across Billy's torso until he reached his face and kiss ravaged mouth, his thumb brushing across Billy's lower lip. Eyes fixed on Billy's aroused, hungry green gaze, Dom slowly and carefully breached the tight ring of muscle and slid into the desperate welcoming heat of his Billy.

Billy's hands slid down Dom's sweat slick back, fingertips pressing into Dom's buttocks, pulling him deeper into the tight grip of his body, his legs wrapping around Dom's thighs, drawing him deeper.

"Slow down, Billy," Dom gasped as he struggled to halt the helpless stuttering of his hips, trying desperately to give Billy's body time to adjust to his invasion.

"Don't need," Billy moaned wantonly, mouth trailing across Dom's neck. "Please, Dommie." His tongue flicked out to lick at the salty skin against his mouth. "Too good. Please, Honey."

Hips undulating under Dom's, Billy's leaking arousal smearing his essence across his belly was too much for Dom's slender grip on his self control. Almost pulling out of Billy's tight embrace, Dom plunged back into Billy, gasping as Billy's body gripped him.

"Billy," Dom gasped. "Please. Won't. Last." He struggled to slow the frantic pace of his own body as they slammed against each other.

Sweat slick skin slipped and slid, slapping together as Billy arched up into Dom and Dom ground down into Billy.

Billy's hands slid the length of Dom's body, finding and cupping Dom's face, speaking hoarsely, his breath heaving as he struggled to maintain the slimmest grasp of control.

"Don't," Billy murmured, his accent becoming almost intelligible. "Let. Go," he gasped as Dom's fingers closed around his straining, leaking arousal. "Need. You. Not. Control."

Billy's guttural words were the flames that burnt the last shards of Dom's control, and holding his weight on his elbow, the fingers of one hand twisted in Billy's hair as Dom's mouth feasted on Billy's hungrily. Buried deep inside Billy, their hips slammed together as Billy's legs wrapped high around Dom's hipbones, his heels pressing into Dom's buttocks. Muscular legs pushing him deeper with each sweat slick stroke of their hips, Dom's other hand wrapped tightly around Billy's slick throbbing erection, his thumb brushing relentlessly across the leaking tip. Unable to control the sensations burning through his body with the force of an out of control freight train, Dom could feel his climax tightening his body, his toes curling as sensation rushed over him. His hand tightened on Billy's arousal, sliding slickly and frantically along Billy's rigid length.

"Billy. Please," Dom gasped, struggling to speak coherently as his body fought against him. "Let. Me." He paused to breath, fingers tightening and increasing their pace. "Watch. You. Come."

Unable to refuse a single request from the young man who had given him his heart and body so willingly, and had asked for so little in return, Billy let his tight hold on his body unravel. Each deep, plunging stroke of Dom's arousal nudged against Billy's sweet spot as his hand slipped along Billy's arousal. Dom's eyes watching Billy's face intently, his smoldering, blue-gray eyes absorbing as much as he could to warm his memories, were too much for Billy's limited control. Even as Billy barely nodded his head in acknowledgement of Dom's request, Billy's body began to betray him.

Eyes never leaving Dom's, Billy's hips arched up violently as his  
hot release spurted over Dom's long fingers, and as Billy settled back onto the mattress beneath him, his hands and feet pulled Dom closer, deeper. Dom's fingers released him and their lips met in a hard, wet kiss, and then his hips began to move with even greater intensity, Billy's already tight grip on his body clenching at his arousal.

Pulling back from their kiss, Billy whispered into Dom's ear breathily. "My. Turn," he murmured. "Show me, Dommie," he sighed against Dom's lips.

Dom's fingers tangled tightly in Billy's hair, lips meeting Billy's in a hard, grinding kiss. Hips stuttering against Billy, Dom's long, thrusting strokes becoming erratic, short, sharp, plunging strokes. Body taut with arousal, Billy fought against his release, struggling to wait for Dom.

Slipping one hand between them, Billy’s fingers found one hard little nipple and twisted it.

Dom threw his head back, a wail of release bubbling from his lips, eyes rolling back in his head as his climax washed over him. Pulsing deep within Billy's body, he fell bonelessly on top of Billy, face burrowing into the curve of Billy's strong shoulder.

Billy let his fingers trail up and down Dom's sweat slick back, listening as Dom's breathing gradually slowed. Tears welled in Billy's eyes as he realized that the hitch he could feel in Dom's breathing, and the moisture on his shoulder meant that together they had reduced his beautiful young lover to tears.

"It's alright, Dommie," Billy murmured, turning his head just enough to kiss Dom's hair.

"I've never had to leave a lover before," Dom murmured, lifting his head and wiping his eyes. "I need to remember this," he whispered, eyes searching Billy's face. "It's all you'll let me have. I can't ever let you forget this."

"There is no way I'll ever forget a minute that I've spent with you, Honey."

"But you still won't ask me to stay, will you?" Dom murmured.

"I can't, Dom." Billy closed his eyes, refusing to look into Dom's tear filled orbs. "I'll end up destroying us both."

"Figured." Dom let his head fall back into the curve of Billy's shoulder. "Stay here for just a little while?"

"We can't, Honey." Billy brushed his fingers through Dom's tousled hair. "You have to get on the road, or it'll be too late today."

"Then I should shower." Dom sighed, his eyes falling closed for the briefest of moments. "Will you come with me?" he asked nervously, eyes sparkling suspiciously.

"I can't, Dommie," Billy murmured. "Or I'll want to have you wrapped around me, and bury myself inside you one last time, and then you'd never get away."

"I don't want to get away," Dom replied petulantly as he rolled over and sat on the edge of the bed.

"Don't, Dom," Billy answered flatly. "Don't make our last words angry."

"Last words?" Dom turned back to look at him closely

Billy looked away, his face flushing guiltily.

"You were just going to leave while I was showering, weren't you?" Dom accused as he stood and stalked to the end of the bed, pulling his towel off the blanket box. "Were you even going to say goodbye?"

"Dammit, Dom," Billy growled as he swung out of the bed. "It's not like that. You fecking know that." Standing in front of Dom, Billy cupped his face gently, his thumb caressing the scruffy chin. "I know I'm breaking your heart. I don't want to say goodbye to you. I've been saying goodbye to you all morning without actually saying the words."

"I know." Dom's anger melted and he wrapped himself around Billy tightly.

"Go and shower, Dommie." Billy cupped Dom's face in both hands and brought their mouths together for a long, slow, wet, tender kiss, swollen lips brushing across Dom's wetly as their tongues met and danced erotically. "Your car is packed. Everything is ready to go. Just need you to shower."

"You packed my car?" Dom pulled back, his brow furrowed.

"I needed to help you, Honey." Billy shrugged.

"By getting me out of here so much quicker?"

"It wasn't like that." Billy shook his head. "You know that."

"I know," Dom sighed as he pulled away. He walked all the way across the room before turning and looking back at Billy. "I'll never, ever forget you," Dom said quietly before he walked into the bathroom, eyes glistening brightly with unshed tears.

Billy listened to the shower start running and closed his eyes, drawing a deep breath he struggled to keep his emotions under control.

Pulling his clothes on haphazardly, Billy nearly ran from the bedroom, desperate to escape. Pausing at the hat stand in the foyer, Billy lifted his hat and pushed it onto his head with one hand while the fingers of his other hand brushed along the brim of Dom's hat, his eyes glistening with uncontrollable sadness. Lifting the white straw hat from the wooden hook Billy pressed it against his chest and slipped silently out of Dom's house.

In the shower, Dom closed the lid of the toilet and sat down heavily. Lowering his head to his hands, Dom finally let his emotions loose. Hot, angry and sad tears flowed freely from his sorrow-filled eyes. Each breath he inhaled carried the scent of Billy, and their poignant, passionate lovemaking. He couldn't. He wouldn't wash that from his skin, until absolutely necessary. Rising and wiping his face slowly, Dom stood and turned the shower off.

Walking through his now empty bedroom, Dom pulled on the clothes he had left on the chair to wear today. Lifting yesterday's clothes from the floor, Dom folded them carefully and slipped them into the top drawer of the dresser. Something for Billy, even if the stubborn cowboy didn't think he needed it.

Pausing at the door, Dom let his eyes roam over the house that had been home for three months. Not a single room didn't remind him of Billy, even the door that he clung to like a lifeline was a memory that flashed behind his eyes as he felt the texture of the wood. Drawing a deep breath into aching lungs, Dom pushed off the warm grained boards and stepped out into the sunlit world outside.

True to Billy's word, Dom's vehicle sat at the foot of the front steps, laden with his belongings and the boxes of shards he was taking home to Boulder with him. Walking down to the car, Dom couldn't help the tears that filled his eyes when he opened the driver's door and discovered a posy of flowers, almost identical to the ones Billy had given him once before, wilting on the seat.

"You could stay, you know."

David's voice from behind him visibly startled Dom.

"I can't," Dom murmured, his fingertips brushing reverently across the fragile petals before he lifted them from the seat.

"Why can't you? You obviously want to."

"Of course I do, but I won't. Not unless he asks me to."

"Damn stubborn bastards," David cussed before he stepped forward and pulled Dom into his arms.

Dom stiffened, startled by the touch, momentarily drawn into unbidden memories of a harsher, painful time, but as David's arms completed their circle around him, Dom sank into David's strong embrace, grateful for the support and understanding from the bigger man.

"He loves you, Dommie lad," David whispered against his blonde head.

"I know." Dom nodded against David's warm, musky chest.

"Can I do anything at all to help you?" he asked.

Dom pulled back and looked up into David's clear blue eyes.

"Keep him safe for me?" Dom asked softly.

"Absolutely."

"He's hurting worse than I am, David. He needs his brother. His beautiful, tender heart ….. He's tearing it apart himself. Please help him to hold it together?"

"What about yours?" David murmured.

"Mine's hurting, but it's not being torn awry like his is," Dom explained, smiling sadly at David. "Billy is the love of my soul. He makes my heart sing, and he makes it cry, but he could never break it. Not really."

"You're a special person, young Dominic." David drew the younger man back against his chest. "He's lucky he met you first."

"No offense, David," Dom grinned wanly against David's shirt. "But, it wouldn't have mattered. My heart knew Billy was the one the minute I saw him."

"I know." Slowly and reluctantly, David released him.

"He sent you to make sure I was okay, didn't he?"

"He did." David answered with a nod.

Dom looked at the tiny wilting flowers in his hand and plucked one of the delicate, azure blooms from the bunch.

"Give this to him for me?" Dom asked, holding it out to David. "Look after him for me. He's-" Dom's voice cracked as his eyes renewed their glistening with unshed tears. "He's hurting worse than I am," Dom continued, his voice now very unsteady. "I know there is hope," he said, smiling weakly. "But Billy can see none."

"To hope is to hurt." David explained.

"Keep him safe until he can hope, David. Please," Dom almost begged as he slid into the car.

David nodded wordlessly, then closed the car door.

"When will you be home?"

"Probably late tonight." Dom paused. "I'm going for one last visit to Arwen Canyon. Then straight home, but I'll probably stop in Helm's Deep for gas and some supplies."

"Drive safe, Dominic," David replied, and closed his large hand over Dom's shoulder. "You keep yourself safe."

Dom nodded tightly, afraid to speak again, lest he unravel the tiny ribbon of control he was clinging to. Starting the car, Dom waved farewell to David, then drove off slowly, his eyes watching the rear view mirror as much as he watched the road.

As the life he could have had shrank into the distance and he drove past the main ranch house, Dom caught sight of a forlorn figure, standing in the shadows at the edge of the house. Billy. Dom's heart crumbled as he took in the defeated slump to Billy's shoulders, his arms folded around himself, eyes fixed on Dom's car. The pain and longing in them was almost enough to make Dom hit the brakes and beg Billy to let him stay, to say to Hell with what Billy wants. Just stay and take their happiness one day at a time.

Tears flowed freely down Dom's tanned cheeks as he struggled to see the road, watching Billy shrink in his rearview mirror until he could see him no more.

~*~*~*~*~

David stalked up the pathway toward the house, determined to give his older brother a piece of his mind, but as he reached the top of the pathway, the wind was knocked out of his furious sails by the sight that met him. Shoulders slumped in defeat and shaking violently with unsaid emotion, Billy leaned against the dining room wall.

"You're a fucking idiot, you know that, Pip?" David asked rhetorically as he reached Billy's side.

"Aye. Ah know," Billy answered, his accent thick with the unshed tears that were choking him.

"Anything I can do?" David asked lightly, glancing over his shoulder  
and watching Dom's car disappearing into the distance.

"Put me out of my misery?" Billy replied without pause.

"I could," David mused. "I'd get a pay rise and a promotion, the hands would love me for it, but Viggo would kill me. Wouldn't be worth it." He shrugged noncommittally.

"It would be to me," Billy murmured, his voice cracking as David held out the tiny flower to him.

"Dom wanted you to have this," David said softly.

"I'm doing the right thing, Daisy." Billy looked up at his brother, Dom's crushed hat and the fragile stalk of the flower caught in his hands while shimmering tears glistened on his lashes before beginning their descent down his cheeks, lower lip trembling as he attempted not to break down.

"No. No, you're not." David shook his head. "But, it's your decision." Folding his arms around Billy's waist, he pulled him into his comforting arms.

"This is killing me, Daisy," Billy murmured, dragging himself from his brother's hold.

"C'mon," David said softly. "Go shower, change your clothes. I'll wait for you in the truck. We're going in the Helm's Deep. It's time for you to cut loose for a few hours."

"Got things I have to do." Billy shook his head, wiping his damp eyes on his sleeve.

"Nothing that won't wait until tomorrow. Deal with it, Pip. You're coming with me. Now go get changed."

"Do I have a choice?" Billy murmured under his breath.

"Not a one." David stood tall, pressing his fisted hands to his hips. "Get your shit together, Pip, we need some fun." Turning on his booted heel, David headed towards his truck.

Walking to up to his room and bypassing the bathroom, Billy shucked one set of jeans and plaid shirt for a pair of dark denim bootleg jeans and the same, deep green shirt he'd been wearing the day that Dom had arrived at the Double L. Carefully slipping Dom's flower into the left chest pocket of his shirt, Billy threw his hat onto his bed and instead placed Dom's serviceable, white straw hat onto his head.

Minutes later, Billy was climbing into David's truck, locking himself into the seat belt before he turned, waiting for David to get their trip into Helm's Deep underway.

"You know, far be it for me to be interested in my brother's ablutions, but did you shower?" David asked gently as he started the truck and put it in gear.

"Nope," Billy answered without prevaricating.

"You have to eventually, Pip. His scent won't linger forever."

"I have to keep it while I can, Daisy. Don't expect you to understand." Billy watched the scenery outside the window as they started their journey.

"I do understand," David replied. "More than you realize." Keeping one eye on the road, he gestured at Billy's hat. "Does he know you kept that?"

"Doubt it," Billy replied flatly.

"You could have kept him here, instead of just keeping his clothes," David stated.

"Fuck off, Daisy. Not going to talk about it." Billy rubbed his eyes furiously.

"Fine. Not another word," David replied calmly. "But you might want to push the flower into your pocket properly." He gestured at the tiny bloom, poking its brilliant blue stunning against the deep green of the shirt.

[Chapter 28](http://community.livejournal.com/monaboyd/1650642.html)

  



	31. Western Lovers: Cowboys and Archaeologists 28/33

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Broken, but there is an interesting arrival.

_**FIC: Western Lovers: Cowboys & Archaeologists 28/33**_  
  


[](http://photobucket.com)

  
 **Title:** Western Lovers: Cowboys and Archaeologists 28/33  
 **Author:** [](http://sassywitch.livejournal.com/profile)[**sassywitch**](http://sassywitch.livejournal.com/)  
 **Pairing:** This chapter has no definitive BB/DM pairing but does include DW/OB  
 **Rating:** NC-17, to be on the safe side.  
 **Summary:** Broken, but there is an interesting arrival.  
 **Feedback:** Feedback is my writers crack, which is not to be confused at all with plumbers crack.  
 **Disclaimer:** Not at all true in reality. These men whilst adorable and perfectly happy to slash themselves, their actual relationship is something that they only know. This story is adapted from a series of books that I adored when I was younger written by Elizabeth Lowell.  
 **Word Count:** 4902  
 **Header Art:** Courtesy of the incredibly talented [](http://loki-girl.livejournal.com/profile)[**loki_girl**](http://loki-girl.livejournal.com/)  
 **Previous Chapters:** can be found [Here](http://www.livejournal.com/tools/memories.bml?user=sassywitch&keyword=Western+Lovers&filter=all)  
 **A/N:** A huge thank you to [](http://dylan-dufresne.livejournal.com/profile)[**dylan_dufresne**](http://dylan-dufresne.livejournal.com/) for the inspiration, the prodding and the beta. She really deserves far more credit than just beta. This fic wouldn't be what it is without her labour of love. My grammar sucks really, really badly so she had to suffer it so nobody else would. Next Chapter on Friday.  


~*~*~*~*~*~ 

  
He's the wrong man in the wrong place at the wrong time, David thought, and he's headed right for me.

David watched him approach in disbelief. Most people took one look at his pale blue eyes, and unsmiling mouth and decided to strike up conversation with someone else. Anyone else. This man was different.

He had taken one look at David and hadn't looked anywhere else.

With a grace that was totally unconscious, Orlando Bloom worked his way through the bar's crowded, main room, heading instinctively towards the golden, broad-shouldered man who sat alone. Very much alone. No one in the room, filled with cat calling, jeering locals, came within arm's length of the man with the unflinching ice blue gaze and red, closely cut beard.

Even if he hadn't been told to "ask the guy with the beard" about directions, Orlando would have been drawn to the man. His isolation attracted, rather than worried him. Orlando was nothing, if not accustomed to working with solitary, wild animals.

"Hi, I'm Orlando Bloom," he said, smiling when he finally reached the bar. The lack of an answering smile didn't deter him. He would have felt better if he could have seen the color of the man's eyes, but his eyes were shadowed by the brim of the black Stetson that he wore. "The nice young man at the gas station said that you might be able to give me accurate directions to the Double L. He said to tell you that Dominic sent me."

Orlando's smile was like his voice, warm without being flirtatious. The tone was husky, as though he hadn't spoken to anyone in hours, and David wondered if he would sound that way first thing in the morning, and if his taste would be half as sweet as his smile.

Even as he tried to push the sensual speculations aside, David felt the rush of his body changing to meet the uncalculated, innocent masculinity of Orlando himself. It had been a long, long time since David had responded to a man like that – quick and hot and hard, suddenly filled with a need as elemental as breathing itself.

"The man you're looking for is Billy," David said, his voice roughened by the fierce racing of his blood. "He's over there, talking to the bartender."

"Oh sorry. Wrong beard." Orlando's large brown eyes went from David's sleek, well trimmed beard to the indicated man's scruffy shadow. "That's Billy?"

Silently, David nodded.

"Thanks." Orlando said, smiling as he turned away.

David nodded again, and then said nothing more. Nor did he smile. His bleak, blue glance went from Orlando's lithe, alluring body to the faces of the men in Helm's Deep's only bar. Every man in the packed, seething room had taken Orlando's measure the instant he had come through the door, and there was more than casual curiosity in their looks. Whether Orlando knew it or not, their perception of his sexuality, made him even more of a target than the only two women present in the bar. They could politely be described as working girls. Saturday in Helm's Deep was their busiest time. They had been in and out of the bar and the adjoining motel with the regularity of clocks striking off the quarter hour.

When Orlando turned away from David, the men in the bar realized that he was fair game for their entertainment. Nor was there any other man hovering in the background, waiting for him, ready to protect him. He was alone. Instantly, the men became more aggressive in their interest. In a town with only one gas station, one general store, one café, one motel and one bar, all of which were collectively known by Double L staff and family as Helm's Deep – strangers weren't that common. An unknown, attractive young man, with as much femininity as masculinity, and a generous, innocent smile to sweeten the package was unheard of.

And he had no man traveling with him, no one to discourage the blunt, sexual interest of the yahoos in the bar.

Normally the lack of a companion wouldn't be a problem, for anyone, even in the wildest areas of the southwest. But today wasn't normal.

Today was Helm's Deep's Fifteenth Annual Rattlesnake Roping contest, an event that drew every bored, restless young man for a hundred miles or more. As the snakes were still sleeping, forty young, healthy males had spent the dreary Saturday drinking beer, swapping lies and coarse jokes, ragging newcomers, passing comments about the desirability of local females, playing practical jokes, and generally being a pain in the ass to everyone in the bar who wasn't at least four beers under the weather.

David had anticipated what would happen in town, and in an effort to pull his big brother out of his heartbroken funk, and to still keep an eye on his new family, David had dragged forlorn Billy into the bar, where he was silently drowning his sorrows in good whiskey. His big brother was quickly losing himself in the bottom of the bottle he held, and currently oblivious to all around him, Billy was desperately trying to forget the pain that was crushing his heart.

As he'd mentioned to David, Dominic had taken one last drive to Arwen Canyon before leaving, and while David had seen the sorrow in the young man, he'd also seen the pain in his brother, and now was worried about both of them. So David had resolved to keep one close, and surreptitiously watch over the other for as long as he could.

Taking a seat at the end of the bar, David himself, could keep an eye on Dominic as he passed through the small town, and protect him if he needed it, and still watch his brother and ensure Billy didn't do anything too stupid. Apparently he hadn't been surreptitious enough, and he grinned at Dom's subtle revelation.

He'd been watching his second beer go flat and trying to decide which would be less tedious – helping the town's lone mechanic to patch a leaky gas tank on the Double L's pickup truck, or watching the brawl that would inevitably break out in a bar jammed with the  
bored, young cowboys. On the whole, David had been leaning towards patching leaky gas tanks, when he'd looked up and seen a flash of silken brown hair and the kind of easy moving walk that was guaranteed to bring him to attention.

It had done the same for the other inhabitants of Helm's Deep, who had immediately assumed that the pretty stranger had come in for a different kind of action.

Instinctively, David knew that the other men's assumption was wrong.

It wasn't just that Orlando wore baggy jeans, outdoor boots and a hip length down jacket. It was something more subtle and more final than his hiking clothes that made this man different. The openness and generosity in Orlando's smile when he greeted him had announced he was just looking for information, nothing else. If he had any clue of the picture he painted to the inhabitants of the bar, he didn't show it. Hardened souls who had faced this sort of derision before were neither spontaneous nor uncalculating in their approach to men and bars like this.

Unfortunately, this Saturday, in this bar, in Helm's Deep, was the day and the place where redneck yokels would give the town a bad name.

Orlando's gentle manner and open smile didn't belong in Helm's Deep's marketplace, but he was here, just the same.

 _Wrong place, wrong time, wrong man._

And the longer he stayed here, the more insistent the men would become about attracting his attention.

With increasing irritation, David listened to the men nearby speculate on the subject of Orlando's sexual expertise, and the cost of tasting his wares. David watched from the corner of his eye as the bartender came out from behind the polished counter and stood close to Orlando, crowding him and preventing him from reaching Billy at the other end of the bar, under the pretext that he couldn't hear him over the crude background comments. Standing that close wasn't necessary.

David, who was four feet away, could hear Orlando all too well. He had a voice like summer, rich with warmth and life, a lingering British accent, but with the sensual promise in his voice that made blood beat visibly at the base of David's throat.

"The man at the filling station said you were closed, but that you might open the store so I could buy supplies," Orlando said, speaking quickly to the crowding bartender. "There's no other store between here and the government cabin. I've driven all day, and there's supposed to be a storm in the high country tomorrow, so I'll have to leave before dawn or take a chance on getting washed out. As it is, I'll need a room for the night."

"No problem," the bartender said, leaning back long enough to pull a battered, leather register book out and flipping it open with a slap. Indicating with a pen where Orlando could sign his name and provide a credit card number for payment, the bartender turned for a moment to grab a key from a small metal lock box in a drawer along the back counter. Handing the key to Orlando, he asked, "What else do you need?"

Before Orlando could answer, a voice called out. "Yeah, that's it, Dan. Find out what he needs, and we'll give it to him."

David didn't need to turn and look, to know that the voice belonged to a young cowhand named Johnson. Tall, well built and almost as handsome as he thought he was, Johnson earned his reputation as a lady killer, drinker and fighter. Last year, Billy had fired Johnson from the Double L for showing up not quite sober enough to work, for the second time in less than a week. Since then, Johnson had spent more time raising hell than working. The cowboys drinking with Johnson were the same as he was, too old to be boys, and too undisciplined to be men.

Orlando pocketed the key, and acted as though he and the bartender were alone in the room.

"I need basics, mostly. Salt, sugar, flour, coffee –"

With barely restrained laughter, Johnson inserted a stream of his own basics that would have made a seasoned streetwalker wince. David was the only man sober enough and perceptive enough to notice Orlando's almost invisible flinching at the ugly language, but that was his only reaction.

"Hey baby, look at me when I talk to you!" Johnson yelled. "You looking to be a pain in someone's ass? Where's your boyfriend, sugar?"

David's hand tightened on his beer bottle, a reflex as involuntary as his own arousal in Orlando's presence. Slowly, he relaxed his fingers. Meeting Billy's alcohol-glazed look from across the bar, he nodded almost imperceptibly, and straightened.

Unzipping his jacket, Orlando pulled a small tablet from an inside pocket, praying that no one would notice the fine tremor of his fingers. He had dealt with too many wild animals not to have a sixth sense for danger. He was in danger now. What was a coarse, verbal assault, could change at any moment into something worse. The men around him had drunk enough to be uninhibited, but not unable – and he was a stranger that had walked into their territory with nothing more to protect him than whatever basic goodness might exist beneath their veneer of civilization.

If the situation were different, Orlando wouldn't have worried about being alone with any of them, even the cowboy who was running is mouth off at Orli's expense right now, but he had made his brags in front of the pack. Now he had to dominate here, or lose face. It was an old, old story among animals. And the man was _definitely_ an animal.

While Orlando flipped through the tablet to find his shopping list, Johnson started wondering aloud what he would look like without his clothes, stripping him verbally, adding fuel to the savage fires that always burned just below the restraints of civilization.

Turning, David looked at Johnson and the four drunken idiots that were urging him on. The rest of the men in the room didn't notice David's abruptly predatory intensity, because they were watching Orlando with the single–minded purpose of a pack of jackals closing on their prey. At the opposite corner of the bar, Billy sat straighter, his alcohol clouded brain clearing, watching the events unfold and measuring his brothers control of them. David sent Billy a subtle gesture, their own code from years of small, unruly bars and watching each others backs, to let him know that he had this covered, then resumed his surveillance.

A glance at Orlando told David that he sensed the building ugliness, and beneath his calm expression, was an animal wariness that increased with every deep voice that joined in the chorus, egging Johnson on. David had heard similar mutterings from men before, and with each guttural word, civilization had been eroded a bit more, until finally the savagery beneath broke free, destroying everything in its path that wasn't stronger and more vicious than itself.

With a feeling of acute relief, Orlando found his supply list, tore it out and handed it to the bartender. Not by so much as a fast, sideways glance did he acknowledge that there was any other man in the room.

"This is all I'll need," Orlando said.

"We can give you what you need," Johnson called savagely.

Reluctantly, the bartender, Dan, looked to the piece of paper. Taking it, he scanned the list quickly and shrugged.

"Yeah, I got everything." His smile was just short of a leer as he looked back at Orlando. "The store is in the next room. I'll unlock it for you. When you're done, holler and I'll open up the cash register."

"Thank you," Orlando said, zipping his jacket again, despite the stuffy heat of the bar. "I appreciate your kindness."

Surprisingly, Dan had the grace to look uncomfortable.

With half closed eyes, David watched Orlando follow Dan through the inner door that joined the store and the bar. As though sensing that David was watching, Dan came back quickly and resumed selling drinks. The door joining the two rooms remained open, and from where he sat at the bar, David was in a position to watch both Orlando and Johnson without appearing to notice either one.

Through the eccentricities of the air-conditioning, the empty store was even hotter than the crowded bar. Orlando hesitated, then peeled off his stifling jacket, working quickly, finding supplies and stacking them on the checkout counter. When he was finished, Orlando walked to the doorway, and backlit by the bright lights of the store, his slender silhouette was a siren call far older than civilization.

A silence came over the bar.

"I'm ready, Dan."

Johnson's hand shot out and fastened on the bartender's arm. "I'll take care of him, Dan."

Johnson grabbed his half empty beer bottle and headed for the store, and four of his friends quickly followed. Although many of the men in the crowded bar looked around uneasily, no one stepped forward to stop Johnson. Alone, the cowboy was bad enough. At the head of the pack, he was more trouble than anyone wanted to take care of.

Except David.

With a deceptively lazy motion, David came off the bar stool and stood between Johnson and the path to Orlando.

"Get out of my way," Johnson said.

David said nothing.

With a quick, practiced motion, Johnson flicked his beer bottle against the side of the bar. In an instant, the lower third of the bottle disintegrated, leaving behind the smooth neck and three, wicked blades of glass.

David neither moved nor spoke. He simply watched Johnson with the pale, unblinking eyes of a cougar.

In the electric silence, Orlando's harsh intake of breath was as clear as a scream. From his position in the doorway, he could see that the aloof stranger he had spoken to earlier was even more isolated now than he had been when Orlando first walked into the bar room. He looked at Dan, who was backing away from the bar as quickly as he could, making clear that he wanted no part of whatever fight developed. The rest of the patrons, with the exception of the man, Billy, that the silent stranger had pointed out earlier, were backing up as quickly as possible, leaving a wide clearing around the other men.

Billy slipped from his bar stool slowly, his boots silent on the floor as he stood waiting, gauging his brother's reaction and ability to tame the yokels. Seeing David's subtle signal, he relaxed a little. David had this covered. Billy had seen it before. His brother's innate ability to subdue in the heated, alcohol soaked environment of a bar fight was something that Billy had seen before. Many times.

Alone, David waited, feeling the world change as it always did when he was fighting, time stretching, dragging, nailed to the ground, leaving him free to move and other men mired in slow motion. It was a primitive, physiological gift, a trick of the adrenal glands, a quirk that had been passed down through centuries of warriors; adrenaline coursing through his body with each rapid heartbeat, speeding him up, a warrior's reflex that had saved lives when other, slower men had died.

Orlando saw the subtle shifting of David's body, the electric tension of a cougar set to spring.

"No!" Orlando called, his voice tight with fear for him. "Damn it, no! There are five of them and you're not even armed!"

Having reached the same conclusion, Johnson rushed forward, closing the distance between himself and David.

David moved.

His hands flashed out, grabbing Johnson, then he pivoted, throwing him against the bar so hard that bottles bounced and skidded. As David finished the pivot, he smoothly converted his momentum into a different kind of force, lashing out with hands and feet in an intricate sequence. Two of Johnson's buddies went to their knees, and then onto their faces. One staggered backwards and fell. The remaining cowboy grabbed one of his dazed friends, yanked him to his feet and headed for the exit.

Even though Orlando was accustomed to seeing big cats take their prey, the speed, co-ordination and precision of David's attack shocked him. He was so quick that individual motions blurred. Only the results were clearly visible. Three men down, two men running away.

David's pale glance flicked over the remaining inhabitants at the bar, dismissed them as a source of danger, gave a nod to his brother and came back to focus on Johnson. With a silent, gliding stride, David started forward to teach the cowboy the kind of lesson a man would be lucky to survive. But at the moment, David didn't really care about Johnson's future. Better men had died and the world had kept on turning.

Just as David reached for Johnson, two slender, determined hands locked around one of David's wrists. He could easily have shaken off the hands, but the combination of softness and strength was quintessentially disarming him. Orlando smelled of sunshine, and his breath was a rush of warmth flowing over him.

"Don't," Orlando said softly, holding on to David's hard arm, seeing his eyes for the first time. A cougar's eye's but pale blue, bottomless, Hell unleashed and waiting to spring. Orlando caught David's unresisting hand in his and squeezed it tightly. "Please. He's not worth what it would cost you."

Orlando felt the tiny shudder that ripped through David's strength, sensed the gradual uncoiling of steel muscles, and breathed his thanks. Slowly, his fingers slid from David's arm until they were no longer connected by touch. Restrained by nothing more tangible then his acceptance of Orlando's plea, and the heat of his lithe body standing so closely to him, David reached once again for Johnson. Lifting the heavy cowboy to his feet in a single motion, David noticed how the stunned Johnson sagged between his hands.

"That's your free one," David said calmly. "Understand?"

Johnson tried to speak, couldn't, and then nodded. Opening his hands, David released the cowboy, the rest of the room watching as Johnson staggered, caught himself on a bystander, then pushed free and reeled toward the front door. He didn't even pause to look at the two groaning men who had followed him into the fight.

"Take them with you," David said.

His voice was still soft, but it carried clearly through the stunned silence of the room. Struggling, limping, able to use only one arm, Johnson got the other men upright and they all stumbled out the door.

Turning to the bartender, David gestured towards Orlando. "Total his bill."

"Sure thing, David," the man said hastily. "Right away." Scurrying away, his hurried footsteps were the only sound in the bar.

David turned on his heel and looked at each man in the room as the tense silence stretched. Smoothly, he stepped behind Orlando, laying his hands on the Brit's shoulders.

 _"Gentlemen,"_ David said softly, his tone transforming the word into an insult. "I want you to meet Orlando Bloom. In the future, you will treat him the same as you would any of the other Double L family."

David said no more, because he didn't have to, and when David's eyes met Billy's over Orlando's shoulder, a slight smile turned up the corner of his lips.

"Go get your supplies," David said, squeezing Orlando's shoulders reassuringly before he released him.

While Orlando paid his bill, David shrugged into his jacket and leaned casually against the bar while he waited for the groceries to be bagged. Slowly the other men in the bar turned away and began talking in subdued voices. Most of the conversations centered around the fight, or rather, around David, and the aftermath of the fight. Billy's lethal fighting skills were well known thanks to those who had witnessed them, and while David's had often been speculated upon, no one had been curious enough to rattle his cage and find out for sure. Until tonight. Helms Deep had just discovered that the aloof, silent cowhand called David was every bit as skilled at fighting as he was at tracking cougars – and he was known as the best cat-tracker in five states.

When Orlando was ready, David easily lifted some heavy sacks into his arms, and helped him carry the supplies out to the truck.

Outside, a raw, sad wind combed the streets, sending shivers of motion over puddles that had just begun to dry. The landscape was losing its hold on the dry, arid summer, and was showing promise of the snow that would come.

In the distance, an isolated group of mountains rose against the darkening sky, while clouds gathered and slowly seethed around the peaks. Other clouds stretched in a wind-smoothed front across the icy arch of the sky. Orlando glanced overhead, saw the weather front that was supposed to bring torrential rain, and debated whether or not to take on the rough road between town and the government cabin that would be his home until next summer.

"You'll be safe enough at the motel," David said, following Orlando's glance at the threatening sky. "No one will bother you now."

The subtle rasp in David's deep voice intrigued Orlando, but then, everything about David intrigued him and had since the first instant he had seen him.

"Thank you," Orlando said quietly. "If I had known what this was like, I would have bought my supplies in the town I passed a ways back."

David shrugged. "Most of the time it's real quiet. You just came on the one Saturday a year when the local halfwits get together and howl. Two hours earlier and no one would have been drunk enough to run off at the mouth. Two hours later and they would have been too drunk to care who came through the door."

"I doubt you ever get that drunk," Orlando said matter of factly. He braced a sack of supplies on his hip as he unlocked the truck door. "You're too disciplined."

David gave Orlando a sharp look, but before he could ask how Orlando had known that about him, he saw a huge, dark shadow moving inside the cab of the weather beaten truck.

"Good God. Is that a wolf?" David demanded.

Orlando smiled. "You're mostly right. The rest is husky." The truck door grated as it opened. "Hello, Baby. You ready to stretch your legs a bit?"

A black tail waved, and sounds of greeting that were a cross between a growl and a muffled yip came from the wolf's thickly furred throat.

The instant David moved toward the truck, the sounds became a definite growl and the tail ceased waving.

"It's all right, Baby. David is a friend."

The growls ended. Yellow eyes looked at David for a comprehensive instant. Then, accepting the stranger, Baby leaped to the ground.

"Baby?" David asked dryly, one eyebrow quirked "He's got to go at least a hundred and twenty pounds."

"One hundred and thirty three, but he started small. I found him in a hunters trap when he was half grown. The leg healed almost as good as new, but not quite. In the wild, the difference would have slowly killed him."

"So you kept him."

Orlando made a murmurous sound of agreement as he leaned into the passenger side of the truck to deposit his supplies.

"Do you make a habit of collecting and taming wild animals?"

"No." Orlando neatly piled two sacks where a passengers feet would have been, arranging them to ensure that there was room for more. "I'm a wildlife biologist, not a zookeeper. If I find wild animals that are hurt, I heal them and turn them loose again. If I kept them, there's nothing I could give them that would compensate for the loss of their freedom."

Silently, David handed over the sacks he was carrying, one at a time, and as he did, Orlando noticed that he had cut his left hand in the fight. Orlando quickly dumped the supplies in the truck and took David's hand between his own.

"You're hurt!"

David looked down into Orlando's eyes. In the fading light of day, his eyes were almost black with tiny golden flecks. His hands on David's skin had the healing warmth of summer, the softness of spring sunshine, and David wanted nothing more than to bend down and take Orlando's mouth, his body, sink into him until he couldn't remember what it was like to be cold. But that would only make the inevitable return of the ice all the more painful.

"I'm fine," David said, tugging his hand free.

Orlando took David's hand again. The renewed touch of his skin sent hunger searching through every bit of David's big body, making his muscles clench with need.

"David," Orlando said, using the name the bartender had called him. "That is your name, isn't it?"

David nodded curtly, trying to ignore the exquisite heat of Orlando's breath as he examined his hand again. "Friends call me, Daisy."

"You're bleeding, David. Come with me to the motel room. I'll clean the cut and -"

"No."

His rough refusal surprised Orlando, and he looked up into eyes as cold and bleak as a blue winter's moon.

"It's the least I can do to thank you for what you did for me in there," Orlando insisted softly.

"Take me to your motel room?" David asked, his tone sardonic.

"You know that isn't what I meant."

"Yes, but I mean it." David freed his left hand, hesitated, then let out his breath with a whispered curse while his fingertip skimmed the curve of Orlando's lower lip with aching slowness.

Sliding his hand under Orlando's chin and cupping his cheek,David's eyes searched Orlando's face slowly. His large, calloused hand lifted to trace the side of Orlando's face, pushing tousled brown curls from the golden, tanned skin they tumbled across. Thumb brushing across Orlando's full lower lip, David's eyes searched Orlando's chocolate brown orbs seriously as he leaned in closer.

As their lips touched, David's hand carded through the thick, tousled curls and cupped the back of Orlando's head, pulling him into the kiss, slowly. His tongue traced the seam of Orlando's lips, seeking entrance, and as they opened under his, David's breath left him in a contented sigh, his tongue delving into the honeyed softness of Orlando's mouth.

Losing himself in the sweet, sunshine taste of Orlando, David trailed his free hand down Orlando's back, letting his fingers curl over the curve of Orlando's buttocks. Several long moments later, a car racing down the main street in a swirling cloud of dust broke the spell Orlando's innocent flavor had wrapped around them.

"Stay away from me Orlando. I'm a warrior, not a knight in shining armor, and I want you more than all the men in that bar put together. And then some."

Abruptly, David turned and walked away, leaving Orlando standing motionless in the bustling street, watching him with a mixture of shock and deeply sensual speculation in his eyes.

[Chapter 29](http://community.livejournal.com/monaboyd/1651640.html)

  



	32. Western Lovers: Cowboys and Archaeologists 29/33

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> How to remake something that is broken.

_**FIC: Western Lovers:Cowboys & Archaeologists 29/33**_  
  


[](http://photobucket.com)

  
 **Title:** Western Lovers: Cowboys and Archaeologists 29/33  
 **Author:** [](http://sassywitch.livejournal.com/profile)[**sassywitch**](http://sassywitch.livejournal.com/)  
 **Pairing:** BB/DM  
 **Rating:** NC-17, to be on the safe side.  
 **Summary:** How to remake something that is broken.  
 **Feedback:** Feedback is my writers crack, which is not to be confused at all with plumbers crack.  
 **Disclaimer:** Not at all true in reality. These men whilst adorable and perfectly happy to slash themselves, their actual relationship is something that they only know. This story is adapted from a series of books that I adored when I was younger written by Elizabeth Lowell.  
 **Word Count:** 4767 **  
Header Art:** Courtesy of the incredibly talented [](http://loki-girl.livejournal.com/profile)[**loki_girl**](http://loki-girl.livejournal.com/)  
 **Previous Chapters:** can be found [Here](http://www.livejournal.com/tools/memories.bml?user=sassywitch&keyword=Western+Lovers&filter=all)  
 **A/N:** A huge thank you to [](http://dylan-dufresne.livejournal.com/profile)[**dylan_dufresne**](http://dylan-dufresne.livejournal.com/) for the inspiration, the prodding and the beta. She really deserves far more credit than just beta. This fic wouldn't be what it is without her labour of love. My grammar sucks really, really badly so she had to suffer it so nobody else would. Next Chapter on Friday.  


~*~*~*~*~*~ 

  
"Please Billy?" David asked, not bothering to remove the wheedling tone from his voice. "It's just one day," he explained further, his fingers gently stroking the cuddly, talc scented bundle in his arms.

"Why can't Miranda keep her today?" Sighing deeply, Billy tried valiantly to escape.

"She's not feeling well. Something contagious, she said, David explained. "You know Angel's immunity is really low. Until she puts on a little weight and loses that mild fever she's been carrying, common bugs could kill her."

"So explain to me, again, why you can't look after her for the day?" Billy asked as he quirked an eyebrow at his brother.

"There's a cougar decimating one of the herds. I need to track it, you know that. You told me it was my top priority, Ramrod." David smiled, seeing his brothers defenses crumbling.

"So why me? Why not Liv?" Billy's voice rose an octave.

"Liv has spent the last week driving the porcelain bus, and she's already got Milo worry about. I couldn't do that to her. You've got free time to burn."

"I've got a ranch to run," Billy retorted through tightly clenched teeth.

"And you've been doing such a shit-hot job of that over the last six weeks, haven't you?" David stared pointedly at his brother. Ever since Dom had left, Billy had lost weight, the circles under Billy's eyes had deepened, the lights burned in the old ranch house through the night, then there was the fact that Billy was always the first one to work each morning, seven days a week. "Besides, you practically raised Craig and I."

"One day, Daisy," Billy said, relenting with a sigh, opening his arms to accept the baby from David. "And just for the record, there's only four years difference between the three of us, you great git. We were teenagers when I took over. That's hardly raising."

"But you forget, I've seen you with Milo," David added softly as he pressed the baby to his brother's chest.

"Tomorrow you have to find a better solution," Billy warned. "I've got work to do, I don't have time to babysit."

"It's okay," David agreed mildly, watching his brother closely as Billy let the fingers of his free hand trail across Angel's delicate skin. "One day is all we'll need."

"Is she always this quiet?" Billy frowned, his fingers brushing a tiny, waving, fisted hand, his thumb finding its way into the baby girl's grip. A smile flirted briefly with Billy's lips as she pulled his hand to her lips.

David leaned in to fold his hand around Billy's shoulder, his other hand stroking Angel's wispy head. "Thanks, Pip. You won't regret this."

"I know," Billy replied, David already forgotten as he focused his attention on the bundle of love in his arms.

"I'll bring her things down before I leave." David spoke quietly as he watched Billy's attention being completely absorbed by his Angel.

"Anything I should know?" Billy trailed his fingers across the tiny pair of bare feet, his smile widening at Angel's bow lips turning up at the corners.

"She doesn't complain much," David leaned closer, his hand brushing across his brother's arms to gently pat the diaper clad curve of Angel's bottom. "She'll whimper a little bit when she's really distressed, but most of the time, she's completely silent. She'll suck on anything she can get those greedy little fingers around. Randy thinks she must be older than we think she is, and maybe she's teething."

"She doesn't make any noise?" Billy looked up into his brother's face. "Is she okay? You've had a doctor check her out, haven't you?" Billy's arms tightened ever so gently around Angel.

"Of course I have. And no, she's not deaf." David sighed. "They think it's trauma, that it's emotional not physical, but no-one knows for sure."

"She just needs someone to love her and keep her safe." Billy carefully lifted Angel so that she was cradled against his shoulder, kissing her lightly on the cheek as he rearranged her, his hand moving slowly, stroking her back.

"I've tried," David stated sadly, turning his back and walking towards the door. "I'll have to find a family for her soon if she doesn't improve."

"She doesn't need a new family," Billy whispered against Angel's head. "She just needs to be loved unconditionally."

"You sure you're alright with her?" David frowned, his hand on the door handle as he watched Billy snuggling into Angel.

"Fine. Get one of the hands to bring her stuff down," Billy offered distractedly as he turned and walked towards the other end of the old ranch house.

In the bedroom, Billy opened the windows and drew the curtains before he arranged the fluffy pillows on the bed into a crescent shape and laid the dozing baby into the space.

Sitting on the bed in front of her, Billy watched Angel's eyes slowly open as she realized that she was no longer cuddled in his arms. She didn't cry or even reach for him, but her bright, almond-shaped eyes watched him carefully. Billy couldn't help but think that there was an old soul behind those eyes, that were so chocolate they were almost black.

Reaching forward and brushing her baby soft curls back from her face, Billy never broke eye contact. Smiling, Angel's tiny fingers waved wildly in the air above her and she grabbed at his hand. Playing with her, Billy's fingers avoided hers for several moments before he let himself be caught. Delicate digits pulling Billy's pinky finger determinedly to her mouth, Angel sucked on it voraciously.

"You hungry, Angel?" Billy cooed at her. "We'll go and find you some lunch, yes?" Rising from the bed, Billy lifted her against his body once again.

Retrieving the soft cotton blanket he'd dropped on the back of the sofa, Billy draped it over the baby girl to protect her from the harsh sunlight outside. Lifting his hat from the hook beside the door, Billy pushed it onto his head before walking up to the main house, whispering and talking to Angel the whole way.

A wide smile curved up the corners of his lips as he entered the kitchen and saw Liv there, but the smile faded as he realized her skin had a nauseous green shade to it.

"You alright, Livvie?" Billy asked quickly, moving to brush his hand lightly across her back as she leaned on her elbows over the sink.

"I'll be fine in a month or two," Liv murmured, moving to stand up straight and turning so her hip rested on the edge of the sink. "I swear he's not touching me ever again."

"Really?" Billy asked with a knowing grin, but feigning innocence. "What happened, and is there anything I can help with?"

"Jesus, Billy, Liv groaned. "I thought you were old enough to know how this all works, and no, I really think Viggo did enough, all on his own."

Smiling fondly, Billy drew Liv into a tight, one armed hug. "Congratulations, Livvie. I know how much you two wanted more kids."

"Thanks, Billy." Liv sighed and leaned into Billy's embrace. "Now what can I do for you? Can I get you something to eat?"

"I'll have something later on," Billy replied absently.

"Yes," Liv said with a knowing nod. "Because I can see how well you've been eating lately. If I see any more ribs, I'm going to rent you out as a skeleton for Halloween."

"I've been working hard, Liv. You know how it is," Billy protested with a shrug.

"Yes, I do. Working too hard to not remember, and then you forget to eat. Been there, done that, Billy. It never ends well." With a final nod, Liv changed the subject. "I see David found a willing babysitter. I would have taken her, but I don't think I'd cope well."

"We're doing just fine on our own," Billy murmured, shifting Angel until her wide eyes could take in everything in front of them.

"So what can I do for you?" Liv asked, reaching out a finger to gently caress Angel's cheek, only to have her finger captured and pushed into Angel's mouth.

"How old is she?" Liv frowned as Angel gummed her finger, drooling as she did.

"I don't think David knows." Billy frowned in concern. "Why? Isn't she hungry?"

"My guess would be teething." Sliding her finger across Angel's gums, Liv pursed her lips in thought. "But she's so tiny, I wouldn't have thought she was old enough."

"How can I fix it for her?" Billy asked, cuddling the baby closer. "Do I need to take her to a doctor?"

"Sweetie, calm down." Liv smiled gently, moving to the huge, double door fridge. Pulling out a small container, she lifted the lid and took out what looked like a long biscuit. After handing it to the little girl, they both watched as Angel eagerly pushed the chilled biscuit between her lips, gnawing on it happily. "See? All better." Nodding in satisfaction, Liv pushed the container into Billy's hand.

"Is that all it takes?" Billy asked in surprised awe.

"Nope, but when Viggo goes into town tomorrow, I'll get him to pick up some teething rings for you. Well, for her, and maybe even some of the painkiller gel that I used for Milo and his first tooth."

"Anything else I should know?" Billy turned Angel in his arms, watching her as she gnawed on the teething rusk.

"David left a lot of prepared formula, and one of the boys is going to move it down to your house a little bit later on." Walking into the dining room for a moment, Liv returned with a large diaper bag, emblazoned with a big purple dinosaur on the side. "These are Angel's things, if you want to take them back with you."

"Great, thanks," Billy replied, looping the wide, purple strap over his shoulder. "Do you want us to stay and help you out?"

"No, it'll all be good," Liv answered slowly. "Bernard's coming to help." She paused, watching Billy closely. "You look good with  
her, Billy."

"She's a good girl," Billy murmured softly in reply, snuffling his small, perfect nose into the side of Angel's head.

Liv crossed back to the fridge and pulled out a bottle, half filled with formula, and a couple of small jars of baby food, which she pushed into the side of Angel's bag.

"Billy?" Liv said faintly, hand covering her flat belly as her face paled. "I need to go. I'll see you later on." Before the words were completely out of her mouth, Liv turned on her heel and almost ran from the room.

"It looks like we're on our own, Sugarplum," Billy said softly, looking into Angel's serious, almost mournful eyes.

The baby's girl's tiny fingers closed on Billy's nose and pulled gently, oblivious to the meaning of his words, content just to be in his arms.

"C'mon," Billy murmured. "Lets go explore your things."

Walking back down to the old ranch house, Billy stacked the pillows up in the middle of the bed and then sat Angel in the middle of them, the thick softness at her sides making her sit almost upright when he was finished. Placing Angel's bottle and jars of food on the bedside table, Billy unzipped the main compartment of the diaper bag and peered inside.

Carefully extracting the contents of the overstuffed bag, Billy made neat piles along the edge of the mattress. First was Angel's tiny little dresses and playsuits, then her nappies, and finally, the various bottles and wipes required to keep her clean and comfortable. They were all stacked, and then secreted into the dresser. When Angel's things were all put away, Billy opened the top drawer and lifted out a carefully folded shirt. Pressing the cotton to his face, Billy inhaled deeply, drawing Dom's scent into his lungs, and then lovingly placed the shirt back in it's original spot, smoothing it gently with his hand before closing the drawer. All the while, Billy was watched by curious, chocolate eyes, tiny hands waving the teething rusk in the air as Angel followed his progress.

Lifting the final item from the bag, Billy frowned, intrigued and confused, until he realized what it was. Lifting the jumble of straps and buckles over his head, Billy slipped his arms through the appropriate places and smiled at Angel.

"I knew we were smart enough to work this out." Billy grinned at her, leaning forward to brush the tips of his fingers across the sole of one of her tiny bare feet.

"We'll save this for later on, I think." Slipping out of the contraption, Billy leaned forward to snuggle briefly against Angel's tiny body. Picking up the food and formula bottles, Billy walked through the house and deposited them in the fridge before returning to the bedroom. Lifting Angel into his arms, Billy carried her out to the back verandah. Settling on the porch swing, Billy turned the tiny cherub to face him, sitting her on his knees, and as his hands clasped firmly under her little arms, Billy looked into her sweet face as he began to swing gently.

"Nobody's ever swung you before, have they?" Billy crooned softly when Angel looked around, trying to understand what was causing the unfamiliar motion. "There's all sorts of fantastic things to show you, Sugarplum." Thumbs tickling her cloth covered belly, Billy pushed the swing again, watching her eyes widen with surprise as they moved.

Stilling the motion of the swing, Billy laid Angel back against his legs, one hand holding her as the other stilled one gently kicking foot. Pressing his lips against the soft sole of Angel's bare foot, Billy blew a wet raspberry there, his eyes watching her face carefully as her little mouth formed a perfect O when she felt his lips.

Turning on the seat, Billy laid Angel carefully on the soft cushioning before he alternated blowing raspberries to the bottom of each of her feet. His fingers tickled her tiny body gently, watching the silent delight and surprise in her face as he played with her.

Mere hours spent with the tiny angel in his arms had lessened the tight grip of loss from around Billy's heart, as his every thought wasn't centered on the all consuming grief he felt at sending his soul mate away. There was a short reprieve, as his attention was focused entirely on the little girl in his arms, and that was a very good thing. The little angel needed love and security, and Billy was just the man to provide it.

Hands holding her firmly under the arms, Billy pushed Angel's tiny shirt up with his nose and blew wet raspberries across her chubby belly. Lips vibrating against her skin, Billy held Angel as she wriggled gleefully in his arms. Lifting his head to look at her, Billy pulled Angel carefully to his chest, pressing a soft kiss to her forehead.

"I think, my Sugarplum, we need to change your diaper, and then we both deserve a nap. What do you think?"

Angel kicked her feet happily against Billy's body, her fingers reaching up to touch Billy's chin, the flat of her tiny palm resting against his stubbly skin as she looked up at him.

"You like that idea, don't you?" Billy murmured as he pushed up to his feet.

Carrying the baby girl into the house, Billy spread a soft, fluffy towel on the top of the dresser before he carefully and efficiently changed Angel's wet diaper. Dropping the soiled fabric onto the bathroom vanity to wash later, Billy then pushed the mountain of pillows into a line across one edge of the bed.

"I think we could both do with a nap, don't you?" Billy's gentle fingers tweaked Angel's nose as he sat down on the bed. Toeing his boots off his feet, Billy then unfastened his belt with one hand and pulled it from his waistband. Lying back against the bed, Billy laid his precious cargo next to him, gently rubbing her belly. Eyes wide and inquisitive, Angel watched Billy closely, flickering closed only to open again when his movements ceased.

"You need to sleep, Sugarplum," Billy murmured, his own eyes heavy. For the first time in what seemed like weeks, he was honestly tired. Hand cupping Angel's face, Billy traced across the tiny frown lines that were creasing her forehead with his thumb.

Watching her eyes flutter closed as he touched her, Billy frowned.

Pushing up against the pillows, Billy moved until he was laying back against them and then slid his hands under Angel's arms, lifting her until she was laying against his chest. While one hand covered the baby girl's cloth covered bottom, the other gently stroked her back as Billy watched her sleepy eyes slowly drop closed.

Hand stilling against her small body, Billy's own eyes drifted shut.

~*~*~*~*~

Eyes fluttering open slowly, Billy gradually became aware of his surroundings. A tiny hand pressed against Billy's neck until the nearly insignificant weight against his chest reminded him of his tiny charge. Tilting his head slightly, Billy watched Angel as she slept, and let his fingers trace the side of her face.

Hands cradling the baby's sleeping form, Billy rolled onto his side, pressing Angel into the pillows. Releasing her slowly, Billy carefully sat beside Angel, pulling the corner of the coverlet up to wrap around her as she continued to sleep, but even as his hands finished adjusting the soft cotton over her, Angel's eyes were flickering open. Cupping Angel's face in his hand, Billy brushed his thumb along her soft skin.

"I'm sorry, Sugarplum. I didn't mean to wake you," he murmured.

Angel's little hands beat at the air around her, waving and grabbing at his fingers, her eyes wide.

"What's wrong?" Billy cooed, pulling aside the coverlet and scooping her back into his arms.

Snuggling into the curve of his chest, Angel settled almost immediately, her cheek pressed against Billy's heartbeat as her eyes drifted closed again.

"You just need someone to love you, don't you?" Billy whispered tenderly, pulling the baby girl closer into his arms as she slipped back into dreamland.

Hearing a knock at the door, Billy cradled Angel against him and went to answer the summons.

"Pip." David nodded at his brother. "She okay?"

"She's perfect," Billy answered.

"Just brought down the things she'll need until I get back tomorrow," David said, indicating the folded change table and crib at the foot of the porch stairs. "Bernard will be down later to set them up for you." Pausing, David reached out to run a finger across Angel's cheek. "Other than that, I'll be back at around supper time tomorrow to pick her up."

"No need," Billy replied mildly, his arm unconsciously tightening around the sleeping baby.

"What?" David exclaimed, eyes darting to Billy's face.

"I'll keep her for the week," Billy explained. "Then, until I can sort out the logistics, Miranda can have her back."

"Logistics?" David raised an eyebrow.

"She needs someone to love her, David. Someone she can depend on, to be there forever, and I want to be that someone."

"You can't be mum and dad to her, and work full time, Pip," David argued. "Be sensible. I want to keep her, too, but I can't, and I won't give her less than she deserves."

"She won't get less than she deserves, Daisy," Billy insisted in a low voice, watching the sleeping baby closely.

"So she's going to be a replacement for all the love you were lavishing on Dom, is she?" David asked and then frowned.

"Fuck off, David," Billy cursed softly at his brother. "She needs me, and I need her. Can't you just let it be at that?"

"No." David shook his head, opening his arms and gesturing for Billy to hand him the baby. "This is a bad idea. I'll find another solution."

"She's not going anywhere, Daisy." Billy pressed his lips together as his arms encircled Angel protectively.

"I won't let you hurt yourself like this."

"Then you want to see her go to strangers?" Billy's voice was strangled, his eyes glistening as he merely considered the possibility.

"No, but I don't want to see your heart broken either," David replied with a sigh.

"It won't be, and I know it's not the same as a family, but I need to fix her, Daisy."

"Then stop being such a stubborn asshole and bring Dom back."

"This has got nothing to do with, Dom." Billy's voice cracked, as he spoke his lover's name.

"Like fuck it doesn't," Daisy spat. "You think we're not worried about you? You don't interact with anyone anymore. You don't come to meals, which we all know means you're simply not eating. I see the lights on down here, all night long, while you're sorting pot shards. I'm willing to bet you're still sleeping on the sheets that Dom slept on, when you can sleep, that is. If you were snapping the hand's heads off like you used to, that would be something, but no, you've sunk into your own shell, complacent and hurting, and I have no idea what to do to help you. I've never _not_ been able to help you before, Pip." David sighed.

"It's killing me, Pip. I can see you, slowly killing yourself with your pain, and I don't know what to do."

"Angel is not a replacement for him," Billy replied softly, unable to refute anything in David's statement.

  
"If you and Dom were together, I'd sign her over to you in a heartbeat, Billy." David paused to take a deep breath. "But she deserves a mother and a father, or at least two daddies." Shifting his weight, David shrugged.

'So just because I'm alone, I can't have her?" Billy whispered.

"No," David replied calmly. "I'm saying you need to get your shit together, Pip. You're killing yourself with regret and grief, and showering Angel with love is not going to be healthy for either of you." David paused. "He's no better off then you, Pip. Can't you see  
that? You're not giving him a better life, you're destroying two lives."

"You don't know that, Daisy." Billy searched David's face, looking for clues to his Dom's condition. "He'll forget me. He has to."

"Will you ever forget him?" David asked bluntly.

"Not even if my memory were somehow erased)" Billy replied without hesitation.

"Then what makes you think he will?"

Billy paused thoughtfully. "And what makes you think that I can fix what I've already done to him. I've hurt him, Daisy."

"He knows why you did it. He also knows that for you to hurt him like that, you've hurt yourself worse."

"How the fuck do you know?" Billy growled at his brother.

"You may have chased away a lover, brother, but you neglected to remember that he's my friend, too."

"What does that mean?" Billy's eyes narrowed.

"It means that you broke his heart, Billy, and he needed someone to talk to." Sighing, David shook his head. "I won't choose between the two of you, but I'll be fucked if I'm going to let him suffer the way you seem to think he deserves." David fell silent as he saw the look of horror in Billy's eyes. "Or maybe it's you,that you think needs to suffer."

"I don't want anyone to suffer, David," Billy said softly.

"Then the wheels fell off that cart fairly spectacularly, didn't they?" David laughed mirthlessly as he quirked an eyebrow at Billy with a wry grin. "Just think about it, okay?" he asked softly. "You're scaring me, Billy; you're my big brother, and my best  
friend. I don't want to lose you just because you're such a stubborn bastard." Reaching out, David touched Angel's cheek. "I want my brother to be happy, and I want you to keep Angel. I just need to know you'll be able to."

"I'll think about it. Happy?" Billy asked before lifting his free arm, laying his hand on David's shoulder and clasping it tightly. "I'm good, really," Billy assured him. "You know me. I just need some time."

"Yeah, I know you. That's the problem." David sighed, stepping close to hug his brother as tightly as he could without waking Angel. "You two need each other, Pip. Don't leave it so long you can't fix each other."

"I only said I'll think about it, Daisy. Don't you dare get his hopes up," Billy warned.

"Would I do that?" David asked innocently.

~*~*~*~*~*~

"You know, we could put Angel in Milo's swing while he's asleep."  
Liv spoke softly as she watched Billy lift crates of preserving Jars down from the top shelves of her pantry.

"No." Billy negated the idea quickly. "She needs physical contact," he said softly in explanation.

"All babies do, but it won't hurt them to amuse themselves for a little while," Liv countered gently.

"Seriously." Climbing down from the ladder and setting the box he was carrying on the kitchen table, Billy walked over to nuzzle his nose against Angel's cheek. Whispering so softly to her that Liv couldn't hear what he was saying, Billy then stood up straight and moved back towards the ladder. "I think her silence is emotional, not physical."

"What makes you say that?" Liv moved Angel so she was sitting up, her back pressed against Liv's chest, little arms waving in the air and chocolate eyes following Billy's movement around the room.

"It's just something I've noticed. She doesn't sleep unless she's being touched. She doesn't relax unless she's being held. And sometimes, if she's in just the right mood, and I blow raspberries on her cute little baby belly," Billy explained as he walked closer and tickled Angel's stomach with a gentle finger, "She makes the sweetest little gurgling noises, if you listen close."

"Gas?" Liv supplied as she smiled at him.

"It's almost like a giggle, but she's forgotten how to," Billy answered, shrugging before he turned back to climb the ladder again.

"That's so sad, Billy," Liv murmured, her fingers moving to stroke Angel's soft, ebony curls.

"Who knows what she saw before David found her," Billy murmured as he put the last box on the table and brushed the dust from his shirt. Walking back towards them, Billy extended his hands to the reaching, waving arms of the silent, tiny cherub in Liv's embrace.

"It must have been awful for her." Liv shuddered, folding her arms around herself as she thought about the very different start in life that her son and Angel had had.

"It can't have been good." Billy rubbed his cheek against Angel's head as she snuggled into his shoulder, his hand gently stroking her back. "And who knows what she saw or even how long she was there, all alone." Sighing, Billy shrugged. "But she's here now, and she's safe. She just has to believe in herself that she really is safe before she lets herself remember how to be a happy baby."

"She'll miss you when Miranda takes her back."

"I'll miss her, but I can't take care of her properly, just yet," Billy replied.

"She watches every little thing you do," Liv commented as she started to remove dusty bottles from the crates.

"It's only because I was the only movement in the room," Billy reasoned.

"No, she watched you. Just you. Pounce wandered through and she never even noticed. She reached for you every time you were close. She loves you, Billy. You make her feel safe."

"Well, it's all good then." Billy grinned as he lifted Angel up, pressed his face to her cloth covered belly and blew a raspberry there. Hands reaching out excitedly, Angel made contact with the top of Billy's head, her feet kicking out in joyful pleasure. "Because I definitely adore her. Yes, I do," Billy murmured against Angel's belly as he played with her happily.

"You need to have children, Billy." Liv smiled at him fondly. "Lots of them."

"I'd love them," Billy admitted and then shrugged "But it's a moot point, really."

"You only have to call him," Liv murmured softly as Billy lowered Angel, and settled her against his chest.

"Not you, too?" Billy's eyebrows lifted.

"No. Just saying." Smiling demurely, Liv turned her attention back to the bottles.

"Yes, David," Billy said with a heavy sigh. "Just leave it, Livvie. Please?"

"Not a word more," she answered solemnly.

[Chapter 30](http://community.livejournal.com/monaboyd/1653740.html)

  



	33. Western Lovers: Cowboys and Archaeologists 31/33

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Be careful what you wish for.

_**FIC: Western Lovers: Cowboys & Archaeologists 31/33**_  
  


[](http://photobucket.com)

  
 **Title:** Western Lovers: Cowboys and Archaeologists 31/33  
 **Author:** [](http://sassywitch.livejournal.com/profile)[**sassywitch**](http://sassywitch.livejournal.com/)  
 **Pairing:** BB/DM  
 **Rating:** NC-17, to be on the safe side.  
 **Summary:** Be careful what you wish for.  
 **Feedback:** Feedback is my writers crack, which is not to be confused at all with plumbers crack.  
 **Disclaimer:** Not at all true in reality. These men whilst adorable and perfectly happy to slash themselves, their actual relationship is something that they only know. This story is adapted from a series of books that I adored when I was younger written by Elizabeth Lowell.  
 **Word Count:** 5675 **  
Header Art:** Courtesy of the incredibly talented [](http://loki-girl.livejournal.com/profile)[**loki_girl**](http://loki-girl.livejournal.com/)  
 **Previous Chapters:** can be found [Here](http://www.livejournal.com/tools/memories.bml?user=sassywitch&keyword=Western+Lovers&filter=all)  
 **A/N:** A huge thank you to [](http://dylan-dufresne.livejournal.com/profile)[**dylan_dufresne**](http://dylan-dufresne.livejournal.com/) for the inspiration, the prodding and the beta. She really deserves far more credit than just beta. This fic wouldn't be what it is without her labour of love. My grammar sucks really, really badly so she had to suffer it so nobody else would. Next Chapter on Monday.  


~*~*~*~*~*~ 

  
Walking into the room and shutting the door behind him, Billy watched Dom with hooded eyes that missed none of the subtle signs of stress. There were brackets at the side of Dom's mouth, violet smudges beneath his eyes, and his body looked too thin. And most of all, Dom's eyes were too bleak, too dark.

Although Billy didn't know what he had expected Dom to do when he walked back into his life, but shutting down like a flower at sunset wasn't one of the things that Billy had imagined. Tears welled in Billy's eyes as he remembered the moment that Dom had looked at him, gaze still dazed by pleasure, and whispered shyly that he loved him.

Dom must have accepted his explanation, that what Dom felt was temporary, rather than lasting, for Dom had mad no attempt to return to the Double L. Yet the moment, and the words had haunted at odd moments ever since. It had torn at Billy's emotions without warning, making it painful to breathe. But nothing had prepared Billy for the cruel talons sinking into him when he had opened the folder and seen himself standing alone, watching life pass by in a shimmering parade while he stood, lost in shadow.

"You look tired," Dom said tonelessly. "Is the ranch still shorthanded?"

Waving his hand, Billy made a dismissing motion. "I didn't come here to talk about the Double L's personnel problems."

"Surely you didn't come to talk to me," Dom added, his hands moving in dramatic agitation. "It's been seven weeks without a word." He paused. "Not. One. Word."

"What do you want me to say, Dom?" Billy asked flatly.

"You've got a phone, haven't you, Billy?" Dom pressed, turning away from Billy as tears welled in his eyes.

"What good would it have done, calling you?" Billy sighed, lifting one hand to reach out and touch Dom's back, but pulling it back right before they made contact.

"Billy, you knew how I felt," Dom whispered, his shoulders slumping.

"You drove away," Billy replied quickly.

"You fucking sent me away," Dom fired back as he spun around to look at Billy again. "I had no choice."

"Because I didn't want to hurt you," Billy whispered as his shoulders slumped in defeat, watching the pain in Dom's eyes.

"Then that worked well, didn't it?" Dom stated quietly, his anger draining.

"Dom, listen to me." Billy stepped forward, pulling Dom into his arms. "You're the only person I've ever been completely naked with," he said as his lips brushed over Dom's slowly. "You're the only one I've trusted enough. You're the only one I've ever wanted so much it haunts me to the point that I can't sleep. Not just your beautiful body, but your quicksilver mind and your laughter, but your quiet times and even the anger that makes your eyes almost black, " Billy continued as the tip of his tongue traced Dom's lips. "I want all of you. Don't turn away from me. Please. I can't bear losing you. Tell me I haven't lost you. Tell me that you still love me."

The dark, ragged velvet of Billy's voice wrapped around Dom, stripping away his defenses, leaving only the truth of his love.

"I'll always love you," Dom replied, his voice breaking. "That won't change. But other-other things will. You-I-."

Closing his mouth over Dom's in a slow, lingering kiss, Billy sighed. It was a kiss that was a promise as well as a caress, a yearning hope, as well as a burning hunger. A need and a sharing as complex as love itself.

Dom pulled away from Billy's kiss, his hands on Billy's neck, turning his face to look at him. Shadowed eyes looked up into Dom's slowly.

"I can't do this part time, Billy. I can't let you go when you've had enough, when you think I need more than you," Dom said earnestly. "I love you, even more than life itself, but I can't. I won't do this, not if you're just going to send me away again. It doesn't work like that, Billy."

"Is that really how you see me? Like you drew me in your sketch? As an outlaw? Too cruel to go with his people, and too stubborn to follow them to salvation?"

"Of course not," Dom admonished firmly. "That's not what I drew. Not at all. You're not cruel, Billy. You're the gentlest, most compassionate man I've ever met, but you won't let your own heart believe that you deserve it. You would lead your people to salvation. You'd lead them to hope and a future, but you wouldn't dare to let yourself dream that it could be true, that it could happen for you as well." Pressing his lips to Billy's, Dom kissed him wetly. "You showed me that life is filled with love. You taught me that I could love, and live, and experience the most exquisite sensations that I never, ever thought possible, and yet, you refused to believe in them for yourself. Not cruel, Billy. Afraid, but not cruel."

"Come back with me, Dom," Billy whispered, his eyes glazed with motion.

"Have you found anyone to excavate the kiva?" Dom enquired.

"No. That's your job, if you still want it," Billy replied.

"Are you going to send me away again?" Dom asked gently, watching Billy warily.

"Not unless you want to go," Billy answered softly.

"You know where I want to go," Dom stated.

"I hoped you still did." Stepping forward, Billy pressed his lips to Dom's, their kiss slow and languid, wet and hungry. “There's something else," Billy murmured against Dom's cheek as he pulled back.

"What?" Dom asked, frowning. "Is everyone okay? David didn't say anything…" Dom broke off realizing what he had just confessed.

"Everyone is fine." Billy smiled at Dom's slip. "I know we haven't really talked about it, but I wondered-"

"A family?" Dom interrupted him.

"How?" Billy wondered aloud, then answered his own question. "Daisy."

"Word has it a girl has stolen your heart," Dom teased gently.

"You'll love her, Dom." Billy smiled, thumbs brushing across Dom's cheekbones as he spoke. "If you want her, she wants to be our daughter."

"I already love her," Dom whispered as he leaned in to kiss Billy.

"I don't think it's possible for me to love you any more," Billy murmured against Dom's lips.

"Can we talk later?" Dom whimpered as Billy's mouth licked, nipped and suckled at the smooth column of Dom's neck.

"Got other plans?" Billy asked with a chuckle, his teeth plucking at the sensitive skin on Dom's shoulder. "Want me to leave?"

"God no," Dom moaned, tugging at his shirt, desperately trying to draw it up his torso, alternately pulling at Billy's shirt as well.

"Slow down, Dommie," Billy moaned, yanking impatiently at his shirt, buttons popping off of the fabric as the shirt open. Chest now bare, Billy pulled the hem of Dom's t-shirt up and dragged it over his head before pressing himself fully against Dom , his furry torso rubbing against Dom's golden body.

"Not slow." Dom whimpered at the feel of Billy's crinkly chest hair rubbing across his already hard nipples, his fingers struggling with the buckle of Billy's belt. "It's been so long, Billy. Seven weeks without your hands on me."

"Honey," Billy groaned as Dom's elegant fingers brushed against his arousal in his struggles. "Breathe, baby, Where's your bed?"

"Bedroom," Dom muttered as his hands fought with Billy's belt, finally pulling it free and dragging the button fly open roughly. One long fingered hand dipped inside, and as Dom's mouth found Billy's neck again, he licked and sucked, dragging his teeth across the sensitive skin.

"A direction?" Billy whimpered, his body arching into Dom's touch. "Please?" he begged, fingers finding Dom's nipple and twisting it tightly.

Dom's head tilted momentarily to one side, and then his mouth returned to it's wet, licking path across Billy's shoulder. "Need you, Billy," Dom whimpered, lips trailing over Billy's skin, the warm breath of his words brushing over damp skin.

Drawing deep breaths, trying to calm his traitorous body, Billy disentangled himself from Dom. Dragging his lover's hand out of the open V of his jeans, Billy lifted Dom's fingers to his lips and kissed the knuckles before he dared to look up into Dom's flushed face. "Take me to bed, Honey," Billy requested.

Dom lifted one hand to brush across Billy's perfect lips with his thumb before he laced his fingers through Billy's and dragged him down the hall with surprising speed. Pulling Billy inside a darkened room, Dom pushed him against the wall, and fused their mouths together.

Lips melding wetly, Dom's tongue plunged into Billy's mouth, sliding across his teeth, twining with his tongue.

"Want to know a secret?" Dom murmured, as he moved down Billy’s body, his breath warm against Billy's chest as he pushed Billy's opened shirt off his pale shoulders.

"Definitely." Billy's fingers twined in Dom's hair as Dom's lips trailed across Billy's furry chest, occasionally stopping to nip at the softly curling hair and tug it lightly.

"You're going to love my bed," Dom whispered, his tongue licking around Billy's navel, punctuating every word.

"I love you." Billy moaned as Dom pushed his tight-fitting blue jeans down his legs.

"Ahhh, but you're going to love my bed as well, Dom whispered as his mouth found the thatch of curling hair surrounding the root of Billy's impressive arousal.

Dom's teeth pulled at the ginger hair there, his stubbly cheek rubbing along the length of Billy's erection as his hands struggled with the jeans. Pulling Billy's boots off, and freeing his feet of the tangled denim at his ankles, Dom turned Billy and pushed him backwards onto the bed.

As Billy landed, the mattress began to undulate, rocking him back and forth on the rolling waves of water that sloshed beneath him.

"A waterbed?" Billy's eyes widened as the motion of the bed slowed.

Kneeling in front of Billy, Dom's body pushed Billy's knees open wider as his fingertips danced up the inside of Billy's thighs. Lowering his face to press a wet, open mouthed kiss against Billy's belly, Dom's brow furrowed in a frown.

"You've lost weight," Dom commented as he looked up, hands closing on Billy's hips, his worried face nuzzling against the soft, pale flesh of Billy's torso.

"Haven't been hungry." Shrugging noncommittally, Billy struggled to sit up. The motion of the bed undulating under him pushed Billy's hips up, his arousal brushing rhythmically against Dom's bare chest.

"Me either," Dom whispered, his words warm puffs of air against Billy's belly as he licked and sucked his way lower.

"Ahhh," Billy sighed as Dom's lips touched him. Long tongue wrapped around Billy's tip, Dom's lips pressed a soft kiss there before blowing hot breath across the moist flesh that almost pulsed under his touch.

"We'll have to work on your appetite," Dom murmured, long, wet licks sliding against the vein that throbbed under the erotic touch of his tongue.

"I'm hungry now," Billy said with a groan, dropping back onto the bed, his movements setting the bed in motion again. As Dom's lips closed around him intimately, the bed pushed him up into Dom's mouth, and the sweet, wet suction of Dom's mouth around him dragged a strangled cry from Billy's lips. Head thrown back and fingers twisting in Dom's hair, Billy struggled against the climax thundering through his veins.

"Me too." Dom let his lips slide along Billy's length, pressing open mouthed kisses across his flesh before taking Billy into his mouth and sucking tightly. Long fingers danced teasingly across the tender sac beneath, while the fingers of Dom's other hand swirled feather-light across Billy's bare hip.

"Dommie," Billy gasped, his hips arching, the bed heaving underneath him. Desperate fingers grappled along Dom's skin, begging for deeper touches, more, less, something that was outside of his reach, that he couldn't quite decipher.

"Billy," Dom replied as his lips trailed up the length of Billy's body before he ripped his own jeans open. Sliding the material down his legs, Dom then crawled onto the bed, knees framing Billy's hips as he leaned down to press his lips to Billy's.

The kiss was long and wet, lips sliding, tongues thrusting, and Dom's fingers tangled in Billy's hair, desperately trying to pull him closer, to sink deeper into their kiss. Billy's hands slid down to Dom's hips, fingers pressing bruisingly into Dom's golden skin. Hips thrusting up into Dom, Billy moaned wantonly as their erections slid wetly against each other.

Finally, Dom broke their kiss, his chest heaving with the effort of trying to breathe. Holding Billy's head in his hands, Dom trailed gentle kisses across Billy's face before pulling back far enough to look into Billy's passion-clouded eyes.

"Make love to me, Billy?" Dom asked almost shyly, belying the hungry thrusting of his hips against Billy's.

"Always," Billy murmured in reply as his hands danced along Dom's spine, pulling him down until their bodies were touching from toe to shoulder. With his hands clasping Dom's head, tousled, shaggy blonde hair falling across his forehead, Billy's warm green gaze found Dom's smoky blue eyes. "I've always loved you, Honey," Billy said plainly before their lips met.

"Prove it." Dom smiled cheekily as he pressed his legs against Billy's hips, rocking his own quickly, gasping as their arousals pressed together between their bellies.

"I'll do better than that," Billy gasped, one hand sliding down to cup Dom's buttock, fingers kneading the taut globe tightly. "I'll show you."

"Is this an interactive show and tell?" Dom inquired in a low, teasing voice, hand sliding between them to wrap around their arousals. Trailing his fingers along their lengths, Dom let his eyes close briefly as the sensation of Billy's arousal pressed so tightly against his stole his breath and his thought.

"If you don't stop that," Billy groaned, "the show will be over before it even starts." His hand slid down Dom's lean back until his fingertips were brushing against Dom's entrance.

Dom's hands rose to hold Billy's face as he leaned down to kiss him wetly. "Do it Billy. For God's sake, do it."

"Don't think God has anything to do with it," Billy murmured, lifting his hand to his mouth, eyes never leaving Dom's.

Licking and sucking his fingers wetly, Billy trailed the saliva slick digits across Dom's back, trailing one finger wetly across Dom's entrance slowly. A slow smile crossed his face as Dom's back arched and his hips pushed against Billy's probing finger. Keeping his touch light, Billy barely brushed across the tightly puckered muscle.

"Billy. Don't. Tease," Dom gasped as he struggled to get closer to Billy's finger. "Please."

Aquescising to his lover's request, Billy's finger pushed against Dom's entrance and gently breached the tight ring. Dom's back arched, his hips pushed down on Billy's hand and he threw his head  
back, sighing with satisfaction.

"So. Good," Dom gasped as he thrust down onto Billy's hand. Needing to touch Billy, Dom's hands slid across Billy's neck and chest, fingers pinching at sensitive nipples, twisting them even as his hips ground down onto Billy's finger.

"More?" Billy asked with a ragged moan.

"You need to ask?" Dom whimpered as a second finger slid inside him, then scissored and twisted. Spine stretching taut as Billy's fingers brushed against his prostate, a strangled scream squeezed from Dom's lips.

"You. Now," Dom panted, his hands stroking at Billy's furry chest. "Not. Fingers. You."

"Ready?" Billy asked, panting for breath as he struggled for control.

Leaning over, Dom scrabbled in his bedside table, and after retrieving a bottle of lube, he squeezed it so hard that the cap popped off, and silky liquid oozed over his fingers.

Nodding his head quickly, Dom closed his slippery fingers around Billy's erection and stroked tightly.

Hips thrusting up into Dom's touch frantically, Billy almost toppled Dom off of him, and his eyes squeezed shut tightly as he struggled against the erotic sensations flooding through his body, a whimpering sob tearing from his lips. Hands grappled blindly for Dom's, knocking them away from his straining arousal.

"No," Billy forced past lips clenched with the strain of maintaining his control. "Too. Good."

"Please, Bills," Dom whimpered, fingers of one hand closing around his own arousal, the other palm flat against Billy's chest as his fingers twisted a nipple.

Billy pulled Dom down to him, kissing him wetly, teeth nipping at his lips, his chin, tugging at the soft hair on Dom's scruffy chin. Pressing against Dom's entrance, Billy clutched at Dom's hips and slid into his tight body.

"Ahhh," Dom gasped, sinking down onto Billy, and rolling forward, he slid his lips across Billy's "Welcome home, Sweetheart," Dom sighed.

"Too. Good," Billy moaned, his knees flexing, hips thrusting as he pushed up into Dom's warm body. Hands gripping Dom's hips tightly as he thrust into him, Billy's mouth devoured Dom's as their bodies slipped and slid and slammed against each other.

"No. Perfect," Dom gasped, his knees framing Billy's hips. "Touch me, Billy. Please," he begged.

Small hand slid from Dom's hip to wrap around Dom's throbbing erection, Billy's thumb sliding along the slick length, the nail scraping gently along the thick, pulsing vein.

"Billy," Dom groaned as he pressed his palms to Billy's chest, hips undulating wildly, fingers tweaking Billy's nipples. "Won't. Can't."

"Know," Billy grunted, his hand sliding along Dom's leaking arousal, each stroke blurring into the next, rhythm stuttering as Dom's body clenched around him and he struggled against the intense sensations that were coursing through him.

"Billy," Dom whimpered, begging desperately, head thrown back, weight held on his hands as he slammed his body into Billy's thrusts.

"Don't. Hold. Back," Billy growled from between teeth clenched with his desperate need to hold on to his own control long enough to watch his Dommie fly apart above him.

Dom's hand moved to cover Billy's, his long, elegant fingers tightening around Billy's tight grasp. While his trembling hand moved Billy's faster, Dom's hips thrust forward into their fisted grip and back onto Billy's hard length.

"C'mon. Dom," Billy moaned. "Wanna. Watch. You," he whimpered. "Only. You."

Billy's words were more stimulation than Dom's frantic, desperate body could bear, and throwing back his head, a long, keening wail left Dom's lips as his release pulsed slickly over their entwined fingers.

~*~*~*~*~*~

  
Dom woke slowly, wrapped in Billy's embrace as he snuggled into his lover's bare skin. Tilting his head the barest inch, Dom opened his eyes, their faces so close together that his long lashes brushed Billy's cheek.

"Sleep well?" Billy asked huskily, eyes remaining closed.

"Like a baby," Dom murmured, turning until his lips met Billy's lightly.

"Sore?" Billy whispered.

"Achy, but I'm good," Dom answered, pressing a series of soft kisses to Billy's chin.

"Love you," Billy murmured tenderly, one hand slowly lifting to card through Dom's mussed hair.

"Back atcha," Dom said with a sigh, then molded himself along Billy's body. "When do you have to be back?"

"About an hour ago," Billy replied regretfully, finally opening his eyes.

"So," Dom murmured in a low voice. "Where do we go from here?"

"I can't leave the Double L," Billy said quietly. "I was hoping that you could come home with me."

"I'd have to sort something out at work," Dom mused, starting to think aloud. "Arrange to move my furniture. Pack my things. Do something about selling the apartment."

"Does that mean yes?" Billy inquired uncertainly.

"What do you think?" Dom rolled over so that he was laying on his belly beside Billy, one arm wrapped around Billy's chest, excited, shining eyes gazing into Billy's face.

"I'd like to think it would be yes?" Billy answered. "But I'd be taking you away from your tenure, your research…."

"To live with the man that I love more than life. To live on an archaeologically amazing property. I know sometimes I'm vague, but even without Arwen Canyon and the beauty of the Double L, I'd follow you." Dom let his fingers slowly trail down Billy's cheek. "That's a yes, Billy. Wherever you are, that's my home."

"Even without the Anasazi treasures?" Billy whispered, smiling at Dom teasingly.

"You're the only treasure I need," Dom replied tenderly, pressing a feathery kiss to Billy's lips.

"The Ranch house is ours, you know," Billy murmured. "Vig and Liv want us to live there, if you wanted to come back with me."

"And there was some thought that I wouldn't?"

"I hurt you." Shrugging, Billy's fingers pushed Dom's hair back from his forehead as he answered. "Badly." Pausing, Billy swallowed hard. "I wasn't sure you'd even speak to me."

"I couldn't _not_ speak to you. Just like I couldn't _not_ love you," Dom murmured.

"I couldn't make myself hope that you still loved me," Billy replied.

"I talk to David every single night, Billy," Dom confessed. "I couldn't bear to not knowing if you were alright."

"He loves you, too." Billy said as he nodded. "He never told me he speaks so much to you."

"I asked him not to," Dom revealed quietly. "I didn't want you to think I was desperate."

"No, that's my job," Billy added.

"Do _you_ want to live in the Ranch House?" Dom asked, his fingers stroking Billy's furry chest hair.

"It's the first real bed we slept in," Billy answered. "We made love in the shower."

"I should've known you'd be a romantic fool." Dom kissed Billy wetly, his fingers tweaking Billy's nipples gently.

"And if you keep that up, we'll never make it out of bed." Billy sighed, his fingers catching Dom's as they moved.

"That's bad, how?" Dom asked, grinning cheekily.

"I really need to get back to the Double L. Liv has a surprise for you that I'm about to spoil."

"She's pregnant, isn't she?" Dom asked knowingly.

"Aye." Billy nodded. "How did you know?"

Dom shrugged. "Don't know," he said, then paused thoughtfully. "I just did."

"She's not been feeling well, so Viggo, Daisy and I have been sharing kitchen duties."

"And you still have ranch hands?" Dom remarked with an incredulous laugh.

Billy ignored Dom's teasing comment. "They're shorthanded enough. They don't need me skipping out on them."

"Do you need to leave right now? I'll make you some breakfast first," Dom offered, understanding Billy's devotion to his home and his family.

"What I want, is to stay here," Billy said with a sigh. "Make sweet love to my Honey, lay in bed, and plan our future."

Rolling over and pinning Dom under him, Billy strung slow, wet kisses across Dom's face and neck, one hand sliding between them to wrap his small, strong fingers around Dom's growing arousal. "But I can't," he sighed. "I have to get back."

Dom fingers danced down Billy's torso until he could wrap his fingers around Billy's stroking hand, tightening their grip on his renewed arousal. "What if we're quick?" he asked with a sigh, arching his hips into their grip.

"We could never be quick enough, Honey." Billy sighed as Dom's fingers closed around his length. "You're a thirst I can't quench, and I won't rush."

"Just this once," Dom gasped as Billy's hand tightened and squeezed, sliding his fingers quickly across Dom's now slick length. "For me," he moaned. "For us." Dom's hand increased it's speed on Billy's arousal. "You want this. You know you do."

"Then we'll do this properly," Groaning, Billy pushed Dom's hand away and rolled onto his side, one arm under Dom's head to support him, fingers twisting in Dom's tousled hair while his lips grazed teasingly across Dom's lips and his fingers wrapped around their arousals.

Leaning into Billy's kiss, Dom's tongue traced across his teeth, sliding along Billy's tongue. Fingers scratching lightly at Billy's scalp, Dom's other hand traveled across Billy's furry chest, twisting and tweaking Billy's nipples as he did. "What if I don't want that?" Dom breathed against Billy's mouth.

"Honey," Billy sighed as Dom's hand trailed down across his belly and pushed his slowly stroking hand away. "What?" Billy added, his hips jerking into Dom's fist.

"Maybe I want to be the one touching you," Dom murmured as he squeezed his hand tightly around their erections.

"Do you?" Billy asked, his lips against Dom's ear as his teeth nipped gently at the fleshy lobe.

"Want to touch you," Dom said a he sighed, fingers tightening around their flesh, stroking their slick lengths slowly, twisting at the end of each stroke. "I want to devour you," Dom groaned, hips thrusting into his fist.

"Devour?" Billy almost whimpered as Dom's thumb brushed teasingly across the tip of his leaking erection. "God. Honey. Do. That. Again."

"What?" Dom's question breathed against Billy's flushed skin. "This?" Fingers tightened mid stroke, Dom's thumb flicking erratically back and forth across the sensitive head.

"Oh…. God. Yesss!" Billy exclaimed, his hips stuttering into Dom's touch. "Don't. Stop."

"Every night," Dom murmured, his skin flushed, breathing rapid. Billy's hips jerked erratically into Dom's tight grip as he struggled to maintain his control of both his body, and his mind. "Every single night," Dom breathed, fingers grasping their erections, the feel of Billy's hard flesh pressed so tightly against his own, almost stealing his breath, with little regard for the composure of his thoughts. "I would dream about this. Doing this to you. Watching you fall apart in my arms, feeling you come in my hand." Sighing, Dom leaned in, catching Billy's mouth with his own.

"Was I good?" Billy moaned, his hips stuttering into Dom's hand. Head thrown back, he struggled to rein in the release that was beginning to surge through his body.

Pressing his lips to Billy's throat, Dom's tongue swirled over the taut flesh and suckled at his Adam's apple. "Not a patch on the real thing," Dom whimpered. "Don't hold back, baby." Dom drew in a deep calming breath. "Let me watch you."

"Can't. Say. No. To. You," Billy ground out, hips pushing into Dom's squeezing hand. "Yessss!" His thickly accented cry was captured by Dom's lips as his release pulsed against Dom's quivering belly.

Ignoring his own, aching arousal, Dom captured Billy's face in his hands, framing it gently, his thumbs brushing Billy's cheekbones as he gazed into drowsy, passion-glazed eyes.

"I love you," Dom murmured before his lips brushed across Billy's wetly. "So much," he whispered as he plunged his tongue between Billy's kiss-swollen lips.

"Honey," Billy sighed, snuggling his face into Dom's perspiration slick shoulder as his hand slipped across Dom's hip to close around his lover's erection tightly. "You couldn't even begin to measure how much I love you," Billy whispered as his fingers slid slickly across Dom's throbbing arousal, brushing lightly across the tip with a teasing thumbnail.

"Don't need to measure," Dom gasped, his hips thrusting wildly into Billy's hand. "Please?" he whimpered.

"Do you know how hot you are when you beg?" The gripping friction of Billy's hand increased as he watched Dom unraveling through heavy-lidded eyes.

"Not as hot. As. You," Dom almost sobbed as his orgasm spread through his entire body, then exploded through every nerve ending. Release slick on Billy's belly and fingers, Dom's body relaxed against Billy as the cowboy petted and soothed him. Slowly, Dom made his way back into his body.

"Love you," Dom said and then sighed, his lips traveling across Billy's neck wetly. "Stay?"

"I can't, Honey," Billy murmured regretfully. "You don't know how badly I want to."

"I think I do," Dom said, and pushing himself up onto one elbow, he pressed a long, slow kiss against Billy's mouth. "Go shower." Dom trailed his fingers across Billy's furry chest. "I'll make some brekkie for us."

"I could eat at a drive thru, and we could shower together," Billy suggested seductively against Dom's mouth.

"And then you'd never get back, and we'd both regret what we'd done while we should have been helping."

"You're no fun," Billy whispered.

"I'll remind you of that later." Dom grinned, nipping at the skin of Billy's shoulder. "Now go. Shower, while one of us has some willpower left."

Kissing Dom quickly, Billy then rolled from the bed, walking naked into Dom's bathroom, and after leaving the door open, he stepped into the clear, glass shower cubicle. Dom lay on the bed watching slumberously as Billy lathered his lithe, well-muscled body with the apple scented shower gel that hung from the shower head.

Torn between joining his lover and making breakfast, Dom watched Billy until his conscience got the better of him. Pulling on a pair of loose, blue tracksuit pants, Dom moved through to his kitchen to make fluffy omelettes, warmed muffins, crispy bacon and coffee.

Less than thirty minutes after Billy stepped into the shower, he was well fed and standing at Dom's front door, desperately wanting to do anything but leave his young lover. Shirtless, his track pants resting loosely on his angular hip bones, Dom watched Billy from under his long eyelashes. With his hands crossed in front of him, Dom smiled warmly at the scent of his lover clinging to his own skin.

"I'll come back on Friday night and help you pack," Billy murmured, his hat in his hands. "It's only two days."

"I'll be fine, Billy." Dom nodded slowly. "The ranch needs you, and I'm a big boy. I'll be fine."

"You might be," Billy whispered looking up at Dom, his eyes glistening. "But I don't think I will be."

"Oh, Sweetheart." Dom took the three steps that separated him from Billy, his long arms open and eyes glistening. "It's only time. We can talk every day. I'll do everything possible to be there as soon as I can."

"Kiss me?" Billy requested in a low voice, his hand stroking the side of Dom's face gently. "My arms are empty without you, Honey."

"You're such a sweet, vulnerable romantic, aren't you?" Dom replied with a grin as he lowered his mouth to Billy's.

Lips meeting wetly, they kissed slowly, Dom pushing Billy back against the door jamb and Billy's hat falling to the floor, immediately forgotten. Leg lifting to wrap around Billy's hip, Dom's growing arousal rubbed insistently against Billy's, Dom's hands cupping Billy's face as they kissed.

Mouths open, the kisses were wet and tender, nipping and licking and sucking as they tasted each other. Remembering their flavors and scents, the little noises that they made in the back of their throats as they struggled to get closer as their lips brushed across one anothers, Dom's hands slid down Billy's back to cup his taut, denim clad ass cheeks, dry humping his lover against the jamb of the open door.

"Bills?" Dom broke away from his lover's mouth, his hips still undulating lustily. "If we don't' stop this now, you won't be going home."

"That's a problem how?" Billy whimpered as his hands caught Dom's hips and held him close.

"We've both got a lot of work to do," Dom panted against Billy's neck, struggling to rein in his control.

"Could stay." Billy nipped at Dom's earlobes as he spoke, hands gliding up Dom's bare back.

"Bills." Dom inhaled a deep breath and stepped back, pulling out of Billy's clinging embrace. "I can't do this alone, Billy. You have to go home, and I have to make arrangements. We both know that if you stay, we won't get out of bed. Please, Sweetheart," Dom almost begged as Billy's heavy-lidded green eyes slid down his body, pausing at the sight of Dom's arousal, tenting his tracksuit pants insistently.

Sliding one hand down his belly, Billy rubbed the heel of his hand against his denim covered erection.

"Promise me when we're together, we take a week, together, anywhere, and don't have to see another soul. Just you and me, and a feathery bed roll."

"Fuck the bedroll." Dom pulled Billy back into his arms. "We won't even leave the old ranch house."

"You have the best ideas," Billy murmured, sliding his hand inside the loose waistband of Dom's pants and stroking the bare skin slowly. "I'll be back on Friday," he murmured.

"It's only two days, Bills," Dom murmured, kissing him wetly.

"Forty eight hours without you in my arms," Billy whispered, trailing kisses along Dom's neck.

"We've both got phones, right?" Dom said and then sighed as he tilted his neck to accommodate Billy's lips.

"Yeah?" Billy frowned in confusion as his fingers tweaked Dom's nipples.

"I've never had phone sex before, Billy," Dom admitted, almost giggling as Billy's head shot up to look into his eyes.

"You say something like that to me and expect me to spend three hours on the road home and not drive myself just a little bit crazy?" Billy murmured.

"Well," Dom said as he stepped back and let his finger trail down the buttons of Billy's shirt until he was stroking Billy's button fly. "Maybe if you're a good boy, when you're home tonight, I'll let you take my phone's virginity."

"For God's sake, Honey!" Billy exclaimed as Dom's hand cupped him and kneaded at his heated flesh hungrily. "You're not making this any easier."

"Silly me." Dom sighed, removing his teasing hand and smiling angelically through heavy-lidded, arousal-clouded eyes. "Here I was, trying to make it harder."

Billy stepped forward and captured Dom's mouth in a tantalizing kiss. Hard and hungry, his lips and mouth devoured Dom's kiss-swollen mouth for several long moments before stepping away and walking a few steps down the hall. "Just for the record, I thought you might like mine."

"I like everything of yours," Dom replied breathlessly. "You'll have to more specific."

"My phone's virginity. Play your cards right, and it's all yours." Billy laughed, turned on his heel and jogged down the hallway before he could turn back and lose himself in Dom's embrace, or the stunned expression on his young lover's face.

[Chapter 32](http://community.livejournal.com/monaboyd/1655645.html)

  



	34. Western Lovers: Cowboys and Archaeologists 32/33

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Be careful what you wish for.

_**FIC: Western Lovers: Cowboys & Archaeologists 32/33**_  
  


[](http://photobucket.com)

  
 **Title:** Western Lovers: Cowboys and Archaeologists 32/33  
 **Author:** [](http://sassywitch.livejournal.com/profile)[**sassywitch**](http://sassywitch.livejournal.com/)  
 **Pairing:** BB/DM  
 **Rating:** NC-17, to be on the safe side.  
 **Summary:** Be careful what you wish for.  
 **Feedback:** Feedback is my writers crack, which is not to be confused at all with plumbers crack.  
 **Disclaimer:** Not at all true in reality. These men whilst adorable and perfectly happy to slash themselves, their actual relationship is something that they only know. This story is adapted from a series of books that I adored when I was younger written by Elizabeth Lowell.  
 **Word Count:** 5330 **  
Header Art:** Courtesy of the incredibly talented [](http://loki-girl.livejournal.com/profile)[**loki_girl**](http://loki-girl.livejournal.com/)  
 **Previous Chapters:**  
[Chapter 1](http://community.livejournal.com/monaboyd/1608813.html)|[Chapter 2](http://community.livejournal.com/monaboyd/1611126.html)|[Chapter 3](http://community.livejournal.com/monaboyd/1612104.html)|[Chapter 4](http://community.livejournal.com/monaboyd/1613169.html)|[Chapter 5](http://community.livejournal.com/monaboyd/1614376.html)|[Chapter 6](http://community.livejournal.com/monaboyd/1615156.html)|[Chapter 7](http://community.livejournal.com/monaboyd/1616482.html)|[Chapter 8](http://community.livejournal.com/monaboyd/1616969.html)|[Chapter 9](http://community.livejournal.com/monaboyd/1618576.html)|[Chapter 10](http://community.livejournal.com/monaboyd/1618985.html)|[Chapter 11](http://community.livejournal.com/monaboyd/1619204.html)|[Chapter 12](http://community.livejournal.com/monaboyd/1621559.html)|[Chapter 13](http://community.livejournal.com/monaboyd/1623263.html)|[Chapter 14](http://community.livejournal.com/monaboyd/1625122.html)|[Chapter 15](http://community.livejournal.com/monaboyd/1627167.html)|[Chapter 16](http://community.livejournal.com/monaboyd/1629471.html)|[Chapter 17](http://community.livejournal.com/monaboyd/1632947.html)|[Chapter 18](http://community.livejournal.com/monaboyd/1634418.html)|[Chapter 19](http://community.livejournal.com/monaboyd/1634981.html)|[Chapter 20](http://community.livejournal.com/monaboyd/1636638.html)|[Chapter 21](http://community.livejournal.com/monaboyd/1637642.html)|[Chapter 22](http://community.livejournal.com/monaboyd/1639580.html)|[Chapter 23](http://community.livejournal.com/monaboyd/1640889.html)|[Chapter 24](http://community.livejournal.com/monaboyd/1643222.html)|[Chapter 25](http://community.livejournal.com/monaboyd/1644983.html)|[Chapter 26](http://community.livejournal.com/monaboyd/1647573.html)|[Chapter 27](http://community.livejournal.com/monaboyd/1650371.html)|[Chapter 28](http://community.livejournal.com/monaboyd/1650642.html)|[Chapter 29](http://community.livejournal.com/monaboyd/1651640.html)|[Chapter 30](http://community.livejournal.com/monaboyd/1654942.html)|[Chapter 31](http://community.livejournal.com/monaboyd/1654942.html)|

 **A/N:** A huge thank you to [](http://dylan-dufresne.livejournal.com/profile)[**dylan_dufresne**](http://dylan-dufresne.livejournal.com/) for the inspiration, the prodding and the beta. She really deserves far more credit than just beta. This fic wouldn't be what it is without her labour of love. My grammar sucks really, really badly so she had to suffer it so nobody else would. Next Chapter on Friday.  


~*~*~*~*~*~ 

Crawling into the bed he and Dom had shared for the summer, body exhausted, Billy's mind was still sorting through the tasks he had yet to complete for the day. He hadn't arrived back at the Double L until almost lunchtime, and whilst neither Viggo nor David had begrudged Billy the time he had taken, in fact they had encouraged him to take longer, he couldn't help but feel guilty about leaving the ranch shorthanded. So all afternoon, Billy had worked hard. Hard enough to feel the strain of heavy, horse breaking work in his arms, and the gentle reminder of being filled, over and over, by his delicious lover the previous night.

Barely taking the time to slip out of his clothes, Billy fell onto the sheets, which like his own skin, held the faint scent of his Honey. Dropping his phone on the mattress beside his head, Billy forgot all about it as he dozed. Pulling what had been Dom's pillow into his arms, Billy nuzzled his weary face into the feathery lump, his arm wrapping around it possessively as his eyes drifted closed.

Suddenly, Billy's phone shrilled loudly. Eyes closed, one hand groped across the sheets, intent on silencing the tinny notes of _'Scotland the Brave'_ before it really woke him.

" 'Lo," Billy answered, nose pressed into the pillow, inhaling Dom's scent as he clung to the fog of sleep that was rapidly clearing.

"Wish I could see your face." Dom's voice was husky and low, filled with hunger and longing.

"Miss you," Billy murmured, snuggling into the pillow.

"You only saw me eight hours ago," Dom replied, and Billy could hear the smile in his words.

"And twenty three minutes," Billy added, one eye cracking open to glance at his watch for confirmation.

"That's why I'm calling." Dom's voice dropped another octave.

"Why?" Billy frowned, rolling onto his back, one hand scratching slowly at his hair covered belly.

"I've missed you, too," Dom said slowly. "And I wondered…."

"If I start early enough in the morning, I should be able to be at your flat before midnight tomorrow night," Billy interjected softly.

"You're not driving all that way," Dom scolded him lightly.

"I want to." Billy sighed softly. "It doesn't feel right, being apart."

"It won't be for long, Billy," Dom murmured. "Promise. Besides, we're not really apart. We have phones."

"Won't be the same as having you here," Billy shot back petulantly.

"Stop pouting," Dom requested softly, his voice filled with velvet promises. "You know I'd rather be there touching you."

"Tell me?" Billy asked quietly.

"Tell you what I want to do to you?" Dom murmured, his voice low and sultry. "You know what I want, Bills."

"Tell me, Dommie," Billy repeated. "Please…."

"Bills," Dom whispered. "I've never done this before. What if I don't do it right?"

"How can you get it wrong, Dommie?" Billy coaxed. "I won't know any different. I'm as clueless as you, remember?"

"Are you sure?" Dom murmured.

"Tell me, Honey. Make my hands yours," Billy requested.

"I want to be there," Dom groaned. "I love you. I want to touch you."

"How?" Billy asked, his accent thickening.

"Just how you like it. Long, wet kisses. Nipping, licking, suckling along your neck. My fingers twisting your nipples," Dom murmured. "Stroking the hair on your chest with my fingers."

"You have no idea, do you?" Billy asked as he sighed with pleasure. "Just how incredibly arousing you are."

"I'm sorry," Dom breathed into Billy's ear via the small, silver phone. "Have you ever looked in a mirror, or listened to that voice of yours? You ooze sexy."

"Only around you." Shifting, Billy pushed the pillow under his head a little more. "Ask the hands, they'll tell you that I'm a hard ass bastard, especially since you've been gone."

"Do you realize just how quickly your voice flips my switches?" Dom spoke so softly that Billy had to strain to hear.

"That's very good to know." Billy rolled onto his side pressing the phone between his ear and the pillow, one hand idly brushing back and forth across his nipples. "It's your eyes."

"My eyes?" Dom murmured.

"Mostly," Billy sighed as his fingers flicked across one nipple. "Your hair, your lips, your sexy ass."

"Romantic, aren't you?" Dom chuckled huskily.

"You started it." Billy's voice held the hint of humor.

"You're in our bed, aren't you?" Dom asked softly.

"I can still smell you on the sheets." Billy replied as he nodded. "I couldn't bring myself to change them."

"I can still smell you on me," Dom confessed quietly, "I couldn't bring myself to shower."

Letting his fingers trail across his belly, Billy wanted nothing more than to touch his growing arousal, but also wanting to prolong whatever it was that they were doing for as long as possible. "Christ, Honey. You're going to drive me insane."

"What did I do?" Dom smiled at the quiet desperation in Billy's voice.

"To know that you kept me on your skin. To know that you wanted me there. Wanted me all over you, even though I'm so far away."

"Always," Dom murmured thickly. "You want me to touch you, don't you?"

"Desperately," Billy replied, fingers dancing across the top of his thighs.

"Wrap my long fingers around you Dom requested in a low, seductive voice. "I know you love it when I do that. Close my fingers tightly around you, and let my thumb flick across your tip slowly."

"Dommie," Billy forced roughly from between tightly clenched teeth. "Please…."

"Do it for me, Bills," Dom murmured. "Stroke yourself for me.”

"So good, Honey," Billy moaned as his small hand closed around his throbbing arousal. "Can feel you."

"Put your phone on speaker, Bills." Dom requested. "You need both hands."

"You won't hear me." Billy sighed, his words breathed in time with his long, pulling strokes.

"I'll hear," Dom replied huskily. "Do it, Bills."

"Want you, Dommie," Billy murmured as he dropped the phone onto the pillow beside his head.

"You can feel my fingers, can't you, Sweetheart?" Dom whispered into the phone, his voice hoarse, even to his own ears. "You're hard and leaking, aren't you? You're slick and slippery in my fingers, aren't you?"

"Yesss," Billy hissed as his hand slid along his throbbing erection.

"Feel the way my thumb teases you? Brushing my fingers across your slick tip? Sliding across your precum? You like that, don't you?"

"God, yes," Billy panted. "Want. Touch," he whimpered.

"Touch for me, Billy." Dom's voice caressed Billy's perspiration dotted skin as tangibly as a physical touch. "Use your other hand, Bills. Your nipples are just begging for me to touch them. Squeeze them. Pinch them. I know how much you love that, my fingers twisting in your sexy, furry chest hair. Playing with your nipples while my other hand squeezes you."

"I'll leave now," Billy offered as his fingers caressed his insistent arousal. "Need you."

"In that condition?" Dom chuckled huskily. "No way." He paused thoughtfully. "You'll just have to take care of yourself, Sweetheart."

"Need you." Billy sighed as his hand stroked slowly. "Only you."

"You've got me, Billy," Dom growled, deep and low as he pressed the flat of his hand against the arousal that threatened to burst out of his low slung jeans. "One hand wrapped around you, the other dancing across those sexy, hairy thighs. I love the way your legs tremble under my fingers."

"Coherency is impossible when you touch me," Billy gasped, his thumb swirling in the fluid that coated the tip of his arousal.

"For me, too," Dom groaned. Hand pressing against himself relentlessly, the fingers of Dom's other hand toyed with the top button of his fly, cell phone caught between his shoulder and his ear.

"Sure I can't? Two hours, Honey. Need you," Billy moaned, his words punctuating each stroke as his hips lifted from the bed, pushing into the circle of his fingers.

"Nope," Dom answered through teeth clenched tightly together, hand sliding inside his jeans. "Billy!" Dom whimpered as his fingers closed around himself.

"Honey," Billy groaned, his hips stuttering off the bed, grinding into the friction of his calloused fingers. "Can't alone. Need you." Billy's head tossed from side to side as he fought against his own reactions.

"Billy," Dom growled "Come for me, baby." His voice dropped, low and sultry. "Need to hear you, Sweetheart."

"Dammit." Billy's neck strained taut, the veins prominent and throbbing as his body arched off the bed into the touch of his hand and sound of Dom's voice. As he struggled to control his reactions to Dom's smoothly erotic words, Billy's brow furrowed in a tight frown. "Can't."

"Yes, you can, Billy," Dom whimpered. "For me, Sweetheart," his sex laden voice begged. "I want to watch you."

Billy's hand moved furiously along his length, squeezing and stroking, his other hand caressing the sac below his arousal roughly as he processed Dom's words. The furrows in Billy's brow deepened and he opened the eyes that had been squeezed shut to close out all but the sound of Dom's voice, and the touch of his hand.

"I need to watch you, Billy," Dom's voice spoke.

Billy's gaze flicked to the door, his perspiration-slick skin glowing as his eyes drank in the sight of his lover. Leaning against the door jamb, Dom's phone was caught between his ear and shoulder, one hand caressing his chest, the other weighing his impressive arousal. Billy, hyper aroused and pushed to breaking point by Dom's voice, relinquished what little control he maintained.

Release coating his fingers, Billy's eyes rolled back, closing as he dragged breath into empty lungs and his body sank bonelessly down to the mattress.

"I couldn't stay away," Dom murmured softly, slowly walking closer to the bed. "Not after last night."

"Why didn't you tell me?" Billy sighed, extending a hand to Dom as he watched his young lover peel his t-shirt over his head, his unfastened jeans falling to a pool around his feet.

"Why didn't you tell me?" Billy sighed, extending a hand to Dom as he watched his young lover peel his t-shirt over his head, his unfastened jeans falling to pool around his feet.

"Because." Dom shrugged. "You said you'd never…." Dom paused, blushing a deep pink. "You've taught me so much, how could I not?"

Knees pressed against the edge of their bed, Dom stretched out his fingers and took Billy's hand in his, gray-blue eyes never leaving Billy's as he crawled onto the wide, firm mattress.

"Miss me?" Dom asked softly, one hand stroking Billy's face as he leaned in to kiss him wetly.

"You went away?" Billy murmured cheekily.

Pulling away, Dom rolled onto his back, feigning hurt. "Then you obviously won't mind if I sleep then," he replied petulantly.

Sliding closer to his young lover, resting his head in the curve of Dom's shoulder, Billy trailed one hand across Dom's chest, twirling his small, rough-skinned digits across Dom's golden skin. Mouth so close to Dom's that their lips brushed with every word, Billy looked into Dom's eyes, so close neither of them could really focus.

"I want you, Honey," Billy murmured, his lips and breath caressing Dom's mouth. "Inside me…..now."

Dom never spoke, just leaned forward and pressed his lips against Billy's mouth. Kissing him slowly, Dom pulled back to press his fingers against Billy's lips, sliding them between his lips for Billy to suckle.

Two of Dom's long fingers were sucked between Billy's perfect lips, drawn deeper by the tight suction, and his tongue gliding erotically around them, caused an arrow of sensual, burning heat to Dom's arousal. The suckling sensation on its own was enough to enflame Dom's senses.

Eyes locked with his lovers, heavy lidded with desire, perspiration beaded on Dom's forehead as he struggled for even a shred of control. With each stroke of Billy's tongue, Dom remembered every time his arousal had been between those perfect lips. Legs framing Billy's, Dom's hips stuttered forward, dragging his leaking arousal against the furry thigh beneath it.

Pulling his fingers from Billy's sinful lips before he lost control, Dom leaned over and lifted a bottle of lube from the top drawer of the bedside table. Trailing wet fingers in a wandering line down Billy's torso, Dom paused briefly to caress Billy's growing arousal before sliding lower, fingertips tracing over the taut sac beneath it. Brushing even lower, across the sensitive skin, Dom tenderly draws his fingers across the tight, puckered entrance he sought. Squeezing lube into his palm Dom warmed it, slowly coating his fingers before brushing back and forth across Billy's tight entrance.

"Honey, no teasing," Billy moaned as he pushed back onto Dom's fingers.

"Not," Dom whimpered as his finger breeched the ring of muscle.

Legs falling open in wanton invitation, Billy's hips ground onto Dom's finger desperately. Pushing a second finger deep inside his lover, Dom's fingers scissored rapidly as they plunged hungrily.

"Fer Chrissakes, Honey!" Billy's hips arched into Dom's touch, fingers clutching handfuls of the sheets at his sides. "Just do it, Honey. Please."

"Won't hurt you," Dom groaned as he moved between Billy's legs.

Perspiration glistening on his golden skin, hair clinging damply to his head, Dom closed the fingers of his free hand around the base of his own arousal, squeezing tightly, desperately trying to slow his throbbing need.

"You won't," Billy moaned gutturally as he wrapped his legs around Dom's thighs. "Need you Dom. Now."

Finally, Dom's slick fingers slipped from Billy's body. Guiding the blunt head of his leaking arousal until it nudged against Billy's entrance, Dom tilted his hips, gently pushing past the loosening muscle until he began to slip deeper into Billy's body. Pressed as deeply into Billy as he could be, Dom stilled his body, perspiring, heart pounding like he'd run a marathon as he held his weight on his hands, desperately trying to give his lover time to adjust to him.

Billy's hands slid up Dom's slick back, fingernails digging into Dom's shoulders as he pulled him down. Chests meeting with a slap as Dom fell against him, the motion plunged him deeper into Billy with a muffled grunt of longing and need.

"Don't," Billy groaned, pulling his legs up so his calves hooked over Dom's slender thighs, heels pressing against Dom's buttocks.

Lips finding Dom's wetly, Billy sucked Dom's tongue into his mouth as he took matters into his own hands and slammed his hips up to meet Dom's, heels drumming against Dom's buttocks, fingernails digging into Dom's smooth shoulders. "Not gently," Billy moaned into Dom's mouth. "Fuck me, Honey."

Dom rested his weight on his elbows, his hips undulating teasingly against Billy. Fingers carded through Billy's curling ginger hair, Dom lost himself in Billy's wet, messy, suckling, open-mouthed kiss.

Drawing back until he almost slipped out of Billy's body, Dom paused for the briefest of seconds before slamming back down, their hips grinding together as Billy pushed up into Dom's thrust. Billy's feet drummed against Dom's buttocks faster, harder. Breaking off their kiss, Billy threw his head back, neck taut, pulse pounding visibly as a litany of jumbled, begging words tumbled from his lips.

Ducking his head, as his hips began to stutter against Billy's, his grip on control fraying with every breath, Dom began to lick the taut expanse of Billy's neck. Teeth nipping gently at the frantic pulse and Billy's Adam's apple, Dom's fingers wrapped in Billy's ginger curls, tugging tightly as his release began to build within him.

Monologue of blue descriptions of what Dom could do to his body growing louder with every thrust, Billy was silenced when Dom sealed his mouth over Billy's, kissing him ravenously as he grasped at his own threatening release. Moving his weight to one arm, Dom slid one hand between their bodies to wrap around Billy's erection, stroking him quickly. With every deeply accented description of how Dom was satisfying him, Billy fell a little further into the abyss of bliss that he was hurtling towards.

"Forfuckssakehoneyletgo." Billy's head tossed from side to side as his words began to run together, mind begging for the release his body searched for. "Pleasepleasepleaseplease," he pleaded.

Billy's words were the final link in the sensual, erotic chain that Billy had bound Dom with, and he let go of his hard won control.

One, two, three final, deep thrusts into Billy's body, and Dom's release spurted deep within his lover, his hand gripping Billy's arousal in a velvet grip, stroking fast and furiously, his jumbled words begging Billy to let go.

Billy's hands left Dom's shoulders to frame his face and pull his mouth down, sucking wantonly on Dom's long tongue as his release pulsed over Dom's fingers.

Collapsing onto Billy, completely exhausted, Dom deepened the kiss as they struggled to kiss and breathe at once. Billy's arms moved to wrap around Dom's waist, and he sighed sadly as Dom slipped out of his body. His lips pressed repeatedly against Dom's face as they relaxed into each other.

"You're the best thing to ever happen to me," Billy whispered against Dom's skin.

"I could say the same thing," Dom panted as he lifted his head to look into Billy's eyes.

"Do you have to go home tomorrow?" Billy asked softly, his fingers combing Dom's damp bangs back from his face.

Before Dom could answer, Billy's phone began to ring from under the pillow beside their heads.

"Hold that thought." Billy brushed a kiss across Dom's forehead as he pressed the answer button.

"Boyd," he answered crisply.

"Are you done?" David's voice contained more than a little amusement.

"What?" Billy asked, shrugging his confusion at Dom as he put the phone on speaker so Dom could hear.

"You know, Pip, I'm happy that you're happy. In fact, I'm happy that you're both happy, but Liv was sure there was an axe murderer in your house. She woke Viggo, and Viggo nominated me to check that you're okay. I got halfway down there and saw Dom's car. Since I enjoy my eyesight, and didn't want the image of your bare asses or worse burned onto my retina's, I decided I'd take the chivalrous way out and phone when you two were finished."

"Very chivalrous," Dom murmured with a blushing laugh.

"Hey, Dom." David's voice changed timbre. "You doing okay now?"

"Sure am, Daisy," Dom replied.

"So I'll ask again," David said quietly. "Are you done?"

"Jealous, little brother?" Billy asked teasingly.

"Jealous? Not likely. Unless Dom wants to change to the brother with more stamina," David stated and then laughed. "But you two are frightening the stock, and with that racket, we'll be lucky to get eggs from the hens in the morning. Frankly, if you don't want the hands speculating on the caliber of the 'horse' you've been riding, I'd try to keep it quieter in future."

"Point taken," Dom answered as Billy's lips fastened onto his neck.

"Done yet, Daisy?" Billy asked, pressing a smacking kiss against Dom's skin.

"Just about," he replied. "Honestly, I'm happy for you both, you know that. I just figured you'd like to keep some secrets."

"Thanks, Daisy," Dom said before kissing Billy slowly.

"David?" Billy questioned him, pulling away from Dom's lips. "Are you done now?"

"Why?"

They could almost hear the frown in David's voice.

"Because in another two minutes I'm going to leave the phone connected so you can be sure you get the full story, first hand this time."

"Oh for fucks sake," David said with a laugh. "Don't you two have any control? Don't bother answering that, I already know." He paused. "Dom, see if you can't keep that dirty mouth of his busy." The second the sentence was out of David's mouth, he realized the connotations of what he said. "Forget it. I don't want to know. I'll talk to you in the morning. Night." Before the word had even reached their ears, David had disconnected the call.

"He loves his brother," Dom murmured softly as he relaxed and molded himself along Billy's side.

"His brother loves him." Billy smiled against Dom's hair.

"What's Craig like?" Dom asked quietly, tilting his head up to look at Billy's stubbly face.

"Like Daisy, but more solitary." Billy sighed. "They both just need to find their 'Honey.' "

"They will." Dom sighed, his face pressed against Billy's chest, fingers twirling and breath ruffling the fine hair that covered Billy's belly.

"Aye," Billy breathed, capturing Dom's hand and bringing it to his lips to kiss the fingertips gently. "When do you have to go home?" he asked, not really wanting to know the answer.

"I am home," Dom whispered, watching Billy's face carefully.

"But your work? Your apartment? Your things?" Billy rolled towards Dom, drawing the younger man into his arms, watching him.

"I've taken a leave of absence. I've sub-leased the apartment to one of my students, packed all the important stuff, and hired a moving company to pack and bring the rest here. I'm giving Aaron most of the furniture. I might have to go back to finish things off, but it's all done," Dom explained.

"I don't want to rush you," Billy said with a concerned frown.

"You're not." Dom leaned up on one elbow. "I realized something as I watched you walking away this morning."

"What?" Billy reached out and smoothed the worry lines in Dom's forehead with his thumb.

"I don't want to spend another night apart from you," Dom admitted and then shrugged. "Life's too short. I love you. If we can be together, why shouldn't we be?"

"I like the way you think," Billy said tenderly as he leaned in to press his lips gently against Dom's.

Their kiss was less urgent, slow and teasing with tongues tracing lips, then opening under slick caresses. Hands slid slowly across warm skin, and with their bodies temporarily sated, they explored and relaxed into each other, enjoying the physical and emotional contact.

"There's something I need to ask you, " Billy said uncertainly.

"What could possibly make you nervous with me?" Dom frowned, looking deep into Billy's eyes.

"We should be thinking about having time together," Billy said aloud, thinking. "Time for us to learn to be us."

"Why do I sense a 'but' in there?"

"Because we could have a baby daughter, right now, if we want her," Billy answered plainly, one hand under Dom's chin, holding his face up so that he could watch Dom's eyes.

"Really?" Dom smiled, his hurried thoughts creasing his brow. "She'll be ours? Truly?"

"All our own." Billy nodded. "She's an orphan from Afghanistan."

"David's Angel?" Dom queried.

"He's told you about her, hasn't he?" Billy lifted one brow as he asked Dom speculatively.

"We do talk about more than just you, you know," Dom teased and then paused. "He was worried about her future, was looking for someone to talk to about her, I guess?"

"Why do I get the feeling that my brother has played us both?"

"Do you really mind?" Dom ran his fingers in Billy's chest hair. "It's not like we haven't talked about it."

"Hypothetically, aye we have talked about it, but I don't know…." Billy trailed off.

"You know, it's okay to love both of us at once, Bills." Seeing that Billy was being torn between his mutual loves, Dom leaned down to press a soft kiss to Billy's lips before he rolled them so he could cross his hands on Billy's chest and rest his head there. "In fact, I think when I meet her, I might just love her, too."

"That's not the point, Dommie," Sighing, Billy's fingers slid through Dom's tousled hair. "Some time to just be us would have been nice."

"We'll still have that, Bills," Dom interjected calmly. "We've already had three months. That's more than some people have before kids."

"What we actually had was three months of me being a bastard," Billy corrected and then sighed heavily.

"Didn't you teach me how to trust? Showed me that I could love? Taught me to love the most wonderful man in the world?" Dom asked. "Don't tell me what a bastard you've been, because I know the truth."

Unable to stop himself, Billy leaned down to press a warm kiss to Dom's lips.

"When can we have her?" Dom whispered against Billy's mouth.

"We'll talk to David in the morning."

Smoothing Billy's brow with gentle fingers, Dom grinned. "You should sleep, Billy. Daisy said you worked yourself hard today, and you're not getting any younger…."

"Watch it," Billy growled playfully, twining his legs with Dom's, rolling him onto his back and kissing him wetly before pulling the younger man tighter into the circle of his arms. "You should be tired after the drive and…" He trailed off as Dom's mouth closed over one nipple, sucking and licking it into a dark peak.

"Memory failing you, Sweetheart?" Dom grinned up at his lover as his fingers twisted Billy's other nipple. Tilting his head back, Dom nibbled teasingly at Billy's bottom lip, tongue tracing across the skin his teeth abraded.

"Dommie," Billy whispered, hands lifted to frame Dom's face. "Honey, we need to sleep."

"I know, Billy," Dom murmured against Billy's lips before molding himself along Billy's side, touching from shoulder to toe, one long leg twisted around Billy's and arm flung across Billy's chest, fingers stroking the fine hair. "I just can't help touching you," Dom whispered, his breath flowing across Billy's nipple with every word.

They lay entwined, fingers stroking lazily as eyes drooped wearily, their minds wandering, breathing deepening and muscles relaxing as they gave into their bodies need for rest.

Billy's fingers stroked Dom's mussed hair lethargically as his mind began to cloud with sleep. "I love you, Honey," he murmured, his voice slurring as he finally surrendered to exhaustion.

~*~*~*~*~*~

Arm wrapped possessively around Dom's waist, fingers dipping under the edge of the purple t-shirt that clung lovingly to the curves of Dom's muscular chest, Billy opened the door and let Dom enter the dining room ahead of him. Neither of them were expecting the greeting they received.

Before Dom had cleared the doorframe, the room erupted into impromptu catcalls and cheers. As Billy stepped through the door, his arm tightened around Dom's waist in support, and the first faces he saw were Viggo and David, apparently leading the chorus.

Narrowing his eyes into a thin icy green glare, Billy spoke one word, short and crisp. "Enough."

Almost instantly, the ranch hands were silenced. Viggo and David, however, were slower to respond.

Seeing Billy's narrowed gaze, Liv pressed a hand to Viggo's shoulder, quieting him immediately. Realizing he was the only one still cat-calling, David fell silent, muttering 'Cowards' under his breath.

"You're alive, Billy," Liv said sweetly before standing up and leaning over the table to press a kiss to Dom's cheek.

"Why wouldn't I be?" Billy inquired with a frown, watching the ranch hands uneasily as they both sat down.

"I was sure you were in some sort of mortal danger." Liv watched Billy's face closely, her eyes wide and innocent. "I heard what I would've sworn was you, whimpering and moaning."

"You did?" Billy asked, swallowing tightly. "It can't have been me."

"I think it was." Liv's smile grew. "In fact, I'm sure it was you. You're the only one that would be calling out for Dom to help you."

"In fact," Viggo added, unable to contain the laughter in his voice. "I'm fairly certain I heard Dom, too."

"Sounded almost like they were both in pain, didn't it?" David interjected, the rumble of laughter thick in his voice.

"You all about done yet?" Dom asked, face flushed with the deep red of his mortification at the current subject of conversation.

"Not even close," Viggo snickered.

"I think you are," Dom stated firmly. "If we promise to keep it down in future, do you all think you could forget you heard, whatever it is you heard?"

"In time," Liv answered quickly, reaching out to cover Dom's hand with her own.

"Then since you all seem to know we had a very good time last night," Dom said as his free hand closed over Billy's tightly. "Can we not spoil it just yet?"

""Here for long, Mr. Monaghan?" Bernard asked in an obvious change of subject.

"Actually, I'm here for good," Dom said quietly, watching Billy quietly load both of their breakfast plates.

"We're all glad, " Bernard offered, gesturing to the rest of the men. "We don't get to see Ramrod this contented much."

"And you needn't think it's going to mean a softer day," Billy muttered as he slid his arm around Dom's waist and pressed a kiss to his cheek, testing the bounds of their newfound ease.

"Does this mean you're not giving lectures anymore?" Liv asked as she handed Dom the jug of fresh orange juice.

"Actually, I haven't spoken to Billy yet, but I may be able to hold onto my tenure if I were to run courses at the dig site," Dom replied. "I don't really want to, but it would give us all sorts of grants and manpower we couldn't afford otherwise."

"What would that mean to the site?" David asked around a forkful of scrambled eggs he had just shoveled into his mouth.

"It would maintain it's current integrity, put people there twenty-four seven, and the grant money will make Arwen Canyon almost self- sufficient."

"So, we don't want to do this, why?" Viggo asked, his elbows on the table as he gesticulated with his fork.

"Because it would mean a lot more people would pass through the ranch," Dom explained. "The university would provide security, so it would mean no man power from the hands, I could keep my tenure, and effectively oversee the operation. The question is, would you both be happy with that?"

"Count me in," Viggo stated, then resumed eating his breakfast.

"Is it what you would want for Arwen Canyon?" Billy asked Dom softly.

"I think it's the best possible outcome that we've seen so far," Dom said and then shrugged.

"Then do it." Billy nodded firmly, squeezing Dom's hand reassuringly in agreement before turning his attention to his food.

Breakfast continued with the jovial, good-natured banter of contentment, and as the men slowly dissipated to start their day's work, Billy stopped David when he rose to leave.

"David, we need to talk," Billy said to him.

"I don't need any first hand experiences, thanks," David teased as he turned a chair around, straddled it, and sat opposite them. "What can I do you for?"

"We want to adopt Angel," Billy stated plainly.

"Are you shitting me?" David's eyes opened wider.

"She needs a family, Daisy," Dom added softly.

"We want her to grow up near the man who saved her." Billy watched his brother as he spoke.

"I want that, too." David said as he nodded, his eyes glistening. "But I can't, won't let you two do that for me."

"We're not doing it for you." Billy slipped his hand inside Dom's and squeezed it gently. "We're doing it for us."

David looked back and forth between the two of them, watching closely.

"You really want this, don't you?" he asked quietly.

"More than you would know," Dom replied, his thumb caressing the back of Billy's hand. "We want a family, David, and Angel might be our only chance."

"I don't want you to think you need to do this because of me," David restated. "I won't let you do it without a trial." He shrugged as he pursed his lips in thought for a moment. "Two weeks?"

"When can we have her, Daisy?" Dom asked, breathing a sigh of relief.

"I'll call Miranda today." David leaned over to touch their joined hands. "Thank you," he murmured softly. "Both of you."

[Chapter 33](http://community.livejournal.com/monaboyd/1656893.html)

  



	35. Western Lovers: Cowboys and Archaeologists 33/33

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Be careful what you wish for.

_**FIC: Western Lovers: Cowboys & Archaeologists 33/33**_  
  


[](http://photobucket.com)

  
 **Title:** Western Lovers: Cowboys and Archaeologists 33/33  
 **Author:** [](http://sassywitch.livejournal.com/profile)[**sassywitch**](http://sassywitch.livejournal.com/)  
 **Pairing:** BB/DM  
 **Rating:** NC-17, to be on the safe side.  
 **Summary:** Be careful what you wish for.  
 **Feedback:** Feedback is my writers crack, which is not to be confused at all with plumbers crack.  
 **Disclaimer:** Not at all true in reality. These men whilst adorable and perfectly happy to slash themselves, their actual relationship is something that they only know. This story is adapted from a series of books that I adored when I was younger written by Elizabeth Lowell.  
 **Word Count:** 5330 **  
Header Art:** Courtesy of the incredibly talented [](http://loki-girl.livejournal.com/profile)[**loki_girl**](http://loki-girl.livejournal.com/)  
 **Previous Chapters:**  
[Chapter 1](http://community.livejournal.com/monaboyd/1608813.html)|[Chapter 2](http://community.livejournal.com/monaboyd/1611126.html)|[Chapter 3](http://community.livejournal.com/monaboyd/1612104.html)|[Chapter 4](http://community.livejournal.com/monaboyd/1613169.html)|[Chapter 5](http://community.livejournal.com/monaboyd/1614376.html)|[Chapter 6](http://community.livejournal.com/monaboyd/1615156.html)|[Chapter 7](http://community.livejournal.com/monaboyd/1616482.html)|[Chapter 8](http://community.livejournal.com/monaboyd/1616969.html)|[Chapter 9](http://community.livejournal.com/monaboyd/1618576.html)|[Chapter 10](http://community.livejournal.com/monaboyd/1618985.html)|[Chapter 11](http://community.livejournal.com/monaboyd/1619204.html)|[Chapter 12](http://community.livejournal.com/monaboyd/1621559.html)|[Chapter 13](http://community.livejournal.com/monaboyd/1623263.html)|[Chapter 14](http://community.livejournal.com/monaboyd/1625122.html)|[Chapter 15](http://community.livejournal.com/monaboyd/1627167.html)|[Chapter 16](http://community.livejournal.com/monaboyd/1629471.html)|[Chapter 17](http://community.livejournal.com/monaboyd/1632947.html)|[Chapter 18](http://community.livejournal.com/monaboyd/1634418.html)|[Chapter 19](http://community.livejournal.com/monaboyd/1634981.html)|[Chapter 20](http://community.livejournal.com/monaboyd/1636638.html)|[Chapter 21](http://community.livejournal.com/monaboyd/1637642.html)|[Chapter 22](http://community.livejournal.com/monaboyd/1639580.html)|[Chapter 23](http://community.livejournal.com/monaboyd/1640889.html)|[Chapter 24](http://community.livejournal.com/monaboyd/1643222.html)|[Chapter 25](http://community.livejournal.com/monaboyd/1644983.html)|[Chapter 26](http://community.livejournal.com/monaboyd/1647573.html)|[Chapter 27](http://community.livejournal.com/monaboyd/1650371.html)|[Chapter 28](http://community.livejournal.com/monaboyd/1650642.html)|[Chapter 29](http://community.livejournal.com/monaboyd/1651640.html)|[Chapter 30](http://community.livejournal.com/monaboyd/1654942.html)| [Chapter 31](http://community.livejournal.com/monaboyd/1654942.html)|[Chapter 32](http://community.livejournal.com/monaboyd/1655645.html)|

  
 **A/N:** A huge thank you to [](http://dylan-dufresne.livejournal.com/profile)[**dylan_dufresne**](http://dylan-dufresne.livejournal.com/) for the inspiration, the prodding and the beta. She really deserves far more credit than just beta. This fic wouldn't be what it is without her labour of love. My grammar sucks really, really badly so she had to suffer it so nobody else would. What would a fic be without an epilogue, so epilogue will be posted soon.  


~*~*~*~*~*~ 

  
Walking back towards their ranch house, Billy's calloused fingertips smoothed the tousled black curls of the tiny head that rested on his shoulder. Their beloved baby girl was nestled in the crook of his arm as he walked back to their home.

Dom, his white straw hat tilted back on his shaggy, blonde head, stood at the top of the steps, one hand holding the door open, the other extended to Billy, a broad smile on his face as he watched his family approach.

Pausing, Billy leaned in to Dom's welcoming embrace, their lips meeting in a slow, lingering kiss.

"She still asleep?" Dom whispered against Billy's mouth.

"Yup," Billy murmured. "We'll have time to have that coffee with Miranda while she naps."

"Do you know what she wants to talk to us about?" Dom asked softly as he followed Billy into the house, closing the door quietly behind them.

"Not really. She just said she wanted to talk to both of us before she went home," Billy answered distractedly, lacing the fingers of his free hand with Dom's as they walked through the house. Dom gnawed on his bottom lip, unable to suppress a shard of concern as he thought about Miranda's quiet request.

Over the last few months, Miranda had become a regular visitor to the old ranch house. A little less than a week after David had suggested the trial adoption to her, Miranda had arrived with the little girl, and all of the baby things that she had collected while caring for David's Angel. It hadn't taken very long for Miranda to become as close to Billy and Dom as she was to her almost brother David. Regular visits and phone calls that became even more frequent soon altered their acquaintance from casual to close friends rapidly. One golden afternoon, Billy had been working in the stables, and Miranda and Dom had been sitting under a tree, watching Daisy-May gurgling on a blanket between them while Miranda explained how she fit into their extended family.

Orphaned just after she finished high school, Miranda had gone searching for the brother her step-father had spoken of on rare occasions. It had taken more than a year, but Miranda had eventually found David in Scotland, with his own pair of half-brothers. Writing David a letter, explaining who she was to him, Miranda had waited patiently to receive a reply. From there, they had become penpals of sorts, until Miranda's wedding day, and David had appeared on her doorstep. Their friendship hadn't waned since then, both of them regarding the other as true siblings, even if technically, they weren't.

David had been on hand to play proud uncle when both of Miranda's children were born, and even while David was 'in-country' as he called it, barely a week passed without a phone call or a letter. Now that they lived closer, and with the introduction of Daisy-May, their contact had become even more regular. In fact, Miranda's visits to check on the new family were as much about Miranda spending time with her 'brother' as they were with her checking on Daisy-May. Miranda had been honored when David had turned up on her doorstep and asked her to look after his tiny refugee, and had quietly hoped that David would keep the little girl and lavish his love on her.

Fingers tracing Daisy-May's little fingers, Miranda had sat in the dappled sunlight and told Dom how she had been alone, apart from David, since she was nineteen. She could see David becoming more solitary every day, and wanted nothing more than for him to be as happy as she herself was. Perhaps now that David had seen for himself that love was possible, and saw how happy, content and in love that Dom and Billy were, maybe he'd allow himself to love. She had thought that Daisy-May would be the answer, but watching the little girl flourish and grow under Billy and Dom's care, Miranda realized that the baby had found her own family.

Congratulating Dom on the progress Daisy-May had made since they had taken custody of her, Miranda had commented wistfully on the obvious love and devotion that Dom and Billy shared.

~*~*~*~*~*~

Moving straight into their daughter's nursery, Billy laid the baby gently on the soft pink sheets. Leaning over the golden, pine bars of the crib, Billy's finger smoothed the skin of Daisy-May's cheek as she grumbled in her sleep. As soon as she settled, Billy tucked the soft blanket around her. Kissing the tips of his fingers, Billy pressed them to Daisy-May's forehead gently. Dom slid his arms around Billy's waist, his head resting on Billy's shoulder as he watched Billy's tender touch soothe their precious girl.

"She's put on weight, hasn't she?" Dom asked, watching Billy's loving devotion to Daisy-May.

"A little bit, but not nearly enough," Billy replied. "She will, because she knows she's home now, and she's happy." His fingers stroked the curve of Daisy-May's diaper-clad hip, reluctant to remove his touch.

"The rest will come." Dom's confident reply was little more than a whisper as he kissed the side of Billy's neck. "She just needed someone to love her."

"And a name all of her own." Billy sighed, tilting his head to give Dom's mouth better access to his throat.

"I'll never forget the look on David's face when we told him," Dom murmured, lifting his head from Billy's shoulder as they both heard gentle knocking at the front door.

Billy turned in Dom's arms and kissed him hungrily. "Does this mean we don't get to have lunch in bed?"

"Guess so, Romeo." Dom smiled as he pulled out of Billy's embrace, extending a hand to him. "Randy wanted to talk to us together, but if you're a good boy, you might get a surprise tonight."

Snagging a baby monitor from the table beside the door, Dom pushed it into his back pocket, before they walked quietly out of the room and closed the door carefully behind them.

Moving through the house, Dom opened the door to their guest, smiling as he embraced her tightly.

"How are my favorite boys?" Miranda asked with a smile, pulling Billy into a close hug.

"I thought that was David's spot," Billy replied as he grinned.

"Sometimes," Miranda nodded. "But you two are so cute, you just kill me."

"Cute?" Billy frowned. "We're adults, Randy."

"Oh just shut up," Miranda admonished. "You're so in love, and happy and adorable. You can't help it you radiate cute."

"That's my big tough Ramrod." Dom said with a grin before walking into the kitchen to pour the coffee he'd made a few minutes ago.

"What did you want to see us about, Randy?" Billy asked quickly, more than happy to steer the conversation away from any thought of his apparent cuteness.

"Stop changing the subject, Bills," Dom called jovially from the kitchen.

"I'll withhold privileges," Billy threatened mockingly.

"You couldn't even if you wanted to," Dom called.

"Watch me," Billy replied, laughing.

"Always." Dom smiled as he returned, carrying a tray with three steaming coffee mugs and a plate of cookies.

Billy let his loving gaze trail over Dom's lithe body for several moments before he belatedly remembered Miranda's presence and looked into her amused face. "Not a word," he warned, wagging his finger at her.

"Wouldn't dream of it," Miranda stated, nodding her head seriously, quite obviously struggling to withhold a broad grin as she accepted her coffee.

"I'm never going to live this down, am I?" Billy sighed, accepting a coffee mug from Dom before Dom slipped the baby monitor from his pocket and placed it on the coffee table. Holding his own mug in his hands, he snuggled into the space beside his lover on the two-seater sofa.

"Nope, but your secret is safe with me," Miranda replied and then laughed.

"So, what do you want to see us about?" Dom asked.

"I've got a proposition for you. I don't know if you're interested, but I thought I'd mention it."

"Proposition?" Billy's eyes narrowed suspiciously.

"I've watched you two with Daisy-May," Miranda began. "That was a lovely thing you did by the way, naming her for David. It meant a lot to him."

"He gave us our daughter, made us a family. It's the least we could do," Dom said with a shrug.

Shifting in their seat, both he and Billy leaned forward to listen to Miranda.

"How long have you been a family now?" Miranda asked softly.

"We've had Daisy-May full time for almost three months now. You should know that, Randy. You’ve been here once, sometimes twice every single week," Billy answered, his eyes narrowing. "Why?"

"Everything's okay?" she enquired.

"Couldn't be more perfect," Dom supplied. "She's even started to sleep in her own room."

"That's great, Dom." Miranda smiled warmly at him. She was aware of Daisy-May's sleep and contact issues. With two children of her own, Miranda hadn't had the time she had wanted to devote to David's little refugee. She had, however, seen the changes in Daisy-May after each visit with Billy, and later, Dom as well. Without a doubt in her mind, Miranda knew that it was right for the three of them to be together. For Daisy-May to sleep on her own, in a different room, was testimony to the love and devotion the two men had showered upon the tiny child.

"This isn't just about polite conversation, is it, Randy?" Billy asked nervously.

"I needed to know before I talk to you about my proposition," Miranda explained, tucking her long blonde hair behind her ears distractedly.

"They can't take her away from us," Billy stated vehemently, his face paling at the thought.

"We won't let them," Dom added a second later, his hand moving to clasp Billy's tightly.

"I'm sorry, I'm doing this badly." Miranda sighed. "That's not what I meant at all. Nobody wants to take her away." Inhaling deeply, Miranda and then looked from one man to the other slowly. "Have you thought about more children?"

"Of course," Billy replied as he nodded, his shoulders relaxing visibly. "But we're hardly able to do it ourselves, nor are we ideal candidates for adoption."

"We're happy that we have Daisy-May to love," Dom added quickly.

"What if you could have your own children?" Miranda asked quietly.

"Last time I checked, Randy," Billy said dryly, "It was a moot point. Neither of us has a womb."

"No," Miranda agreed, watching their faces closely, a small smile on her face. "But I do."

"What does…" Billy began, as the true meaning of Miranda's words filtered through his mind.

"Are you serious?" Dom yelped in understanding.

"Absolutely," Miranda replied, nodding firmly.

"You could have a child of your own. Or two if it all works out well the first time," Miranda added, then shrugged.

"Why would you do this?" Billy murmured, his clammy fingers laced tightly through Dom's.

"Because I love you. Both of you." Nodding, she looked into Dom's glistening eyes. "Because I've seen you with Daisy-May. More importantly I've seen Daisy-May with you." Pausing, Miranda turned her sparkling eyes to Billy. "You make her feel safe, loved, and special. All children should feel that way, and you shouldn't be denied a full and happy family, just because you happened to fall in love with a man." Miranda paused again to draw in a deep breath. "Because I have the means to give you children of your own, and I know that those children will be loved and adored and protected all of their lives."

"You would do that for us?" Dom asked, large tears releasing their hold on his lashes.

"Without a moment's hesitation," Miranda said firmly and then nodded as she watched Billy's arm slide around Dom's waist to pull him close.

"We couldn't ask you to do that, Randy," Billy protested, his voice thick with the tears that were choking him. "That's too generous a gift. We couldn't accept it, no matter how much we want it."

"Do you want your own babies?" Miranda asked plainly, moving to kneel on the floor in front of them, a hand on each man's knee.

"Of course we do, but we can't ask for such a huge sacrifice, especially from such a good friend," Billy answered for them both, Dom's head nodding as he pressed their joined fingers to his mouth.

"The sacrifice doesn't exist. I want to do this for you. I need to do this for you. I have my own family. I want you two to be as happy as I am. I want you to have the family you deserve. You have such a beautiful love, please let me help you have babies," Miranda replied calmly. "You know you want more babies. I see the way you both dote on your little girl. Please don't just think about yourselves, or even about me. Think about her. Let Daisy-May have siblings."

"How would we do it?" Billy asked softly as he turned Dom's face to his, his thumbs tenderly wiping tears from Dom's cheeks.

"We don't have to think about specifics now," Miranda said quietly. "I just wanted you to know that I want to do this for you. We'll work it out," she murmured. "I'll go now. Think about it boys. Please?" Rubbing their thighs affectionately for a moment, Miranda then stood up. "I'll let myself out. Call me, and we'll talk about it," she added as she walked out.

Billy was barely even aware of Miranda leaving, his eyes fixed on Dom's tear filled gaze.

"Dommie," Billy whispered, his voice cracking. "Our own baby."

"I know." Dom nodded, tears trickling down his cheeks again. "I'm dreaming, aren't I?"

"Don't think so." Billy replied with a smile. "Or we're having the same dream."

"I'll get the little ginger haired boy to protect his big sister that I've dreamt about," Dom mused aloud.

"I was thinking maybe a little girl with gray-blue eyes and blonde ponytails that I've dreamt about," Billy countered tenderly.

"It should be your baby," Dom told Billy as he nodded, one hand cupping Billy's face tenderly.

"We don't need to talk about it today, Dommie," Billy murmured, leaning in to kiss the younger man, silencing his words.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~

One hand sliding across the rumpled sheets, Dom wasn't all that surprised to find cold linen under his fingertips. Eyes flickering open, Dom glanced at the glowing, green numerals on the face of their alarm clock.

3:33

Fleetingly, Dom wondered if it was only half a devil that had pulled Billy from their bed. Again. This was the third night in succession that Billy had slipped out of bed. Always in the cold, dead of night, the silent time between night and daybreak, when the crisp night was at its darkest, and long before it morphed into the day that stole the darkness away. Scratching his fingers through tousled bed hair, Dom swung his bare legs over the edge of the mattress and slipped on a loose-fitting pair of pajama bottoms.

Padding through the silent rooms of their home, Dom's first stop was their daughter's room, because he has grown accustomed to finding Billy in the rocking chair Viggo had carved for them as a gift. Something was bothering his Billy, but as yet, Billy wouldn't or couldn't talk about it. Worry was starting to eat at the edges of his lover, Dom watching silently as Billy sank further into the grasp of the ghosts that were chasing him. In Dom's mind, it was only a matter of time before the ghosts caught Billy. Entering Daisy-May's room quietly, Dom was surprised to see that tonight, it was empty.

Frowning, Dom wandered down the corridor, and that was when he heard it. Billy's husky, sleepy voice crooned gently to their daughter, offering them both peace from their demons. Standing just inside the screen door, Dom watched his family with tear-filled eyes, knowing something was wrong, but unable to help his lover.

Billy sat on the porch swing, clad only in his pajama bottoms, Daisy-May cradled against his shoulder, sound asleep as Billy's hand slowly stroked her back. Their only illumination was the light of the almost full moon, but even in the dim, silvery light, Dom could see the glistening tracks of fresh tears on Billy's cheeks. Drawing a deep breath, Dom's smile was forced as he pushed the screen door open.

"Bay City Rollers, Bills?" Dom murmured softly, as if finding Billy alone with their daughter, on the front? porch, was a regular occurrence.

"Daisy-May liked it," Billy answered quickly, his free hand brushing his cheeks surreptitiously.

"That's because she wasn't here when they happened." Dom smiled as he sat down beside Billy on the swing. "She'll learn." Pausing, Dom reached over to clasp his hand over Billy's knee. "All she knows is her favorite Daddy was singing to her."

"She loves us both, Honey," Billy assured Dom quickly. They both knew that their little girl shared a close bond with Billy, that sometimes it was only Billy's touch that could sooth her, but she did love both of them.

"I know that, you silly git," Dom replied good naturedly. "But you're the one that taught her what love is." He leaned in to press a soft kiss to Billy's cheek. "You taught us both. That makes you special, to both of us."

The only response to Dom's words was silence. Billy's eyelids lowered slowly as Dom watched Billy's desperate struggle to maintain his composure, then they opened again to gaze out across the dark fields.

"Are you going to tell me what's wrong, Billy?" Dom asked, his voice deceptively quiet.

"Nothing," Billy answered with a slight shrug.

"That would be crap, Ramrod. Want to give that one more try?" Dom leaned back and slid one long arm around Billy's shoulder.

"It's the truth," Billy murmured.

"That's why for the last three nights now, you've woken in a cold sweat, your heart racing, and tears wet on your cheeks." Pausing, Dom's voice softened the accusatory tone. "Don't lie to me, Bills. You're part of me, and if it hurts you, it's hurting me."

"It's just dreams, Honey." Billy sighed, lifting one hand to cup Dom's face, his thumb caressing Dom's cheek tenderly.

"I picked that much up already, Billy. Tell me, and I can help. Talking about bad dreams always makes them better."

Billy shook his head. "They'll pass, Honey. These ones always do. Chalk it up to the delusions of a broken, old soldier."

"And until then, you have to lose sleep and feel like shite all on your own?" Dom asked quietly.

Pulling himself to his feet without jostling the baby, Billy extended a hand to Dom. "I didn't mean to wake you, Honey." Billy sighed again. "That's why I don't stay in bed, why I came out here tonight."

"You didn't wake me," Dom murmured. "I woke up all on my own. When I couldn't find you, I was worried."

"You don't need to worry about me," Billy said flatly.

"Little do you know," Dom replied and then smiled as he stood and wrapped long arms around Billy's waist. "It's you I have to worry about the most."

Releasing Billy, Dom laced their fingers together and led Billy back into the house. When Billy paused at Daisy-May's bedroom door, Dom spoke softly. "I think she should stay with us tonight."

Nodding in agreement, Billy tightened his hold on their daughter, and meekly followed Dom through the house to their moonlit bedroom.

Holding their rumpled comforter back, Dom waited for Billy to slide in, following him closely.

Watching as Billy settled with their sleeping cherub draped over his chest, Dom cuddled into his lover. Fitting his warm, pliant body along Billy's side, his head fitting into the curve of Billy's shoulder, one of Dom's long arms wrapped around Billy's waist, doing all that he knew, to ease Billy's concerns.

Listening to Billy's heart rate slow, his fingers tracing gentle circles across Billy's hip, Dom spoke softly, "You can sleep now darling, whatever it is, we'll keep you safe."

~*~*~*~*~*~

Laying on his side, Dom watched Billy as he slept. Violet shadows curved just under Billy's eyes, and even in his sleep, one small hand rubbed Daisy-May's back soothingly.

Decision made, Dom slipped silently out of bed. Tucking the comforter around Billy, Dom tenderly smoothed Daisy-May's curls back from her tiny face with gentle fingers. Changing quietly into soft yoga pants and a short-sleeved white t-shirt, Dom left the bedroom quietly.

Walking along the grassy path between the two ranch houses, Dom scanned the buildings carefully. Seeing his quarry outside the kitchen door, he smiled widely.

"Early for you isn't it, Dominic?" David asked quietly, one sardonic eyebrow raised in question. "Or is the honeymoon already over?"

"Wanker." Dom laughed, hugging David in greeting. "We haven't even had the honeymoon yet."

"Aren't you usually otherwise occupied at this time of day?" David asked and then grinned. "Or maybe the problem is you've worn my brother out. Already."

"No," Dom sighed. "Although that is what I wanted to talk to you about."

"Do I really want to have this conversation with you?" David inquired as he blushed lightly. "What you two do in the bedroom is your business."

"It's got nothing to do with our sex life, Daisy," Dom muttered, his cheeks crimson. "Trust me, we don't need any help there. I want to know about Billy's past."

"It's not my story, Dom." David stood straight as he answered, hands on his hips, eyes narrowed suspiciously. "Ask him, he'll tell you anything you want to know."

"No, he won't," Dom stated flatly.

"If it was important, Dom, he'd tell you himself," David replied, shrugging apologetically, but watching Dom closely.

"It's important enough to cause him to wake up in a cold sweat," Dom said earnestly. "Important enough for him to cling to Daisy-May like a drowning man to a life preserver, even when he sleeps."

"Have you asked him?" David inquired softly, reaching out to clasp Dom's shoulder firmly in support.

"Sure, and apparently I don't need to worry about him," Dom growled in reply.

"Then trust him to know himself, Dom," David soothed.

"Something is eating him from the inside out, Daisy," Dom pleaded. "I need to help him. He's my Billy. What if it's something I'm doing? If I have to beg, I will, just please help me understand why he's hurting."

David glanced up to the verandah of the bunkhouse, seeing the ranch hands beginning their morning. Listening to Liv start the breakfast preparations in the kitchen behind them, David gestured for Dom to walk with him as they spoke. Walking slowly towards the old barn, David asked quietly, "What do you need to know?"

Dom sighed. "I don't know, because I have no idea what's bothering him." He shrugged. "He's told me about the bastard that broke his heart. That's about it."

"You really have no clue what it is that is worrying him?" David murmured, watching Dom closely.

"No, he was fine until the weekend, actually," Dom replied and then paused. "Since Miranda visited, he's been sleeping badly."

"What has he told you about his past?" David asked as they slowly walked side by side.

"Not much. The only time Billy volunteered anything at all was about the wanker that hurt him," Dom answered with a quick shrug. "Aside from that, I know he has you and Craig, and he was in the army."

"You've had quite the encapsulated story, haven't you?" David stated, smiling wryly.

"None of it tells me what's upsetting him," Dom grumbled.

As they entered the barn, David gestured towards a stack of neatly ordered hay bales, silently encouraging Dom to take a seat.

"You're part of the family now, I guess it's time someone lets you know what you've got yourself into."

"That sounds like you're trying to scare me, Daisy," Dom retorted as he settled on the hay.

"Not deliberately, but maybe you should be," David said with a shrug.

"I'll take my chances." Dom smiled warily. "Where do we start?"

"The beginning, I guess," David replied. Pausing, he growled an expletive under his breath and looked up at Dom. "Pip should be telling you this himself."

"You and I both know that will never happen," Dom told the older man knowingly.

Nodding, David replied slowly. "Since I was five years old, Pip has been the closest thing I've ever had to a father."

"But he couldn't have been more than six years old himself," Dom murmured.

"Pretty much," David said, nodding in agreement. "Billy is special, always has been." Pausing, David searched for the right words to explain his feelings for his brother. "He's an old soul, Dom." Obviously reliving the less than happy memories, he began to pace in front of Dom. "As soon as he was old enough to understand what Craig and I needed, he did his damnedest to give it to us."

"Why?" Dom asked, his face pressed into a tight frown. "What happened to your father?"

"Our mother was in love with love. She'd had six husbands by the time she died. I think only one of them lasted more than a year. Her kids were born in three separate countries, and we'd lived in another two before Billy convinced her to go back to Scotland." David sat on the hay bale beside Dom as he counted his mother's husbands off on his fingers. "Pip's Dad died, lung cancer I think, just before Pip was born. Mine stayed for three months after I arrived. Just long enough to knock up his girlfriend and leave with her. Craig's never stayed past the night Mama told him she was pregnant. After that, they didn't stay long. Apparently no man wants to raise another man's sons. Maybe if Pip's dad hadn't died, things would have been different, but who knows."

"I'm sorry, Daisy." Dom reached out to touch David's arm as he spoke.

"It's okay, we were happy. Billy saw to that," David murmured, a reminiscent smile curving his lips. "As he got older, he'd look after Mama, too. Towards the end, she was going to him for advice. Truth is, he'd been running our house, cooking, cleaning, budgeting, Hell, basically raising us, since he was around twelve."

They fell into silence, both men thinking about Billy, and how the past had shaped the man they both loved.

"It can't have been easy for him, but he never complained. Not once," David stated finally, breaking the contemplative silence that had fallen over them.

"What happened when your mother died?" Dom asked softly.

"Billy was seventeen, I was almost sixteen, and Craig was just fourteen. Billy moved heaven and earth to keep us together. Mama had a life insurance policy, so thank God, money wasn't an issue. We could all stay in school, but Billy fought hard for us to stay a family, to be educated, and be happy."

"Did Billy finish his degree?" Dom probed gently, turning David's thoughts away from his childhood.

"No," David answered. "I'm the only one that finished. Billy never went back, and Craig went straight into the army." David sighed as he stood and began his pacing again. "College was a debacle for Billy," David said, shaking his head. "I often wondered if it was our fault. He'd always been looking after us, didn't leave himself any time for him. If I'd picked up the slack more at home, if I'd thought enough to take some of the load from him, maybe he would've had time to date. Maybe then he wouldn't have fallen so hard for the first guy that paid him any attention."

"You don't know that," Dom interjected.

"No, you're right. I don't. But I would have moved Heaven and earth to save him the years of pain he suffered."

"He's healing, Daisy," Dom replied confidently.

"Thanks to you." David shrugged. "He's needed you his entire life."

"I'm here now," Dom stated firmly. "And I'm not going anywhere. What happened after the Professor?"

"He was about twenty, give or take, I think, when he enlisted." David sighed and then leaned back onto the hay bale behind him. "He was a damn good soldier, and it wasn't long before he was in special forces, but he hated the inactivity. He hated having his hands tied by international protocol. When the opportunity arose to join Cate's boys, Billy grabbed it with both hands."

"Cate's boys?" Dom asked, curiosity getting the better of him.

"Basically, they're mercenaries. She's got friends in high places. Really high places. Cate has a team of men who fix things that need fixing for those friends. She only seeks out the best, and she went looking for Billy." David smiled reminiscently. "She's almost like a big sister now. Billy worked for her for a long time, and he convinced her to take Craig and I on, too."

"You all worked for her?" Dom queried.

"Yeah, Billy would never admit it, but he wanted us where he could keep us safe, and have his family together again," David answered honestly.

"Because that's what Billy does." Dom nodded, long eyelashes damp as he thought about his lover.

"Are you sure you want to know the rest, Dom?" David asked softly. Elbows resting on his knees, he turned his face towards Dom, watching him carefully.

"I don't expect you to understand, Daisy," Dom replied. "But I need to know. I want to help Billy, but I can't do that if I don't understand what's bothering him."

"During the last two years that Billy was working for Cate, he was miserable. I could see it in his face every time we went on a mission. He only stayed because Craig and I were there, and apart from that, he'd never known anything else." David paused, his hands covering his face for a moment as he relived the painful memories. "I knew something was wrong, but I couldn't fix it. I'd find him, sitting alone in the darkness. We'd talk, long into the night. We both knew it was killing him, piece by tiny piece, but he wouldn't leave us and he'd die before he'd leave the people we were trying to help. Cate tried to intervene. She kept him on a mission by mission basis, because she knew he was walking a fine line, and didn't want to push him." David turned his face to look at Dom, his eyes glistening as he spoke of his brother's suffering. "As long as Billy was with us, we all thought he would be okay. That was our biggest mistake. I was meant to be a hard, mean bastard, but Billy never was. He's as tender as you are, he just learned to hide it better than both of us."

"You're as soft as he is," Dom murmured softly. "You know it as well as I do."

"Maybe, but he's the one that's still hurting," David stated flatly.

"Is Craig still working with Cate?" Dom inquired gently as he reached out to touch David's knee and redirect the subject.

"Yeah. Billy wants him out. It kills him that he's not there to protect his baby brother."

"Billy's like a mama cat when he loves," Dom murmured wistfully, remembering the way that Billy had coaxed him from behind the wall he had lived behind for so long.

"You know, you're a lot like Craig. In fact, I don't know why I didn't see it earlier. You've both got the same, delicate soul, wrapped around a backbone of steele," David commented with a smile. "I knew you felt like a brother for a reason." Reaching over, David ruffled Dom's tousled hair.

"If he wanted to stay and look after you, why did he leave?" Dom asked, his curiosity getting the better of him.

  
"We'd been tracking insurgents for more than a week through the humid jungle, in heat that felt like we were melting, it was horrendous. Their leader was a cruel, inhumane bastard that didn't care what he had to do to get what he wanted. We were always one step behind. We found village after village annihilated, so many people killed, for being in the wrong place at the wrong time. So many innocents. That was what drove us. All of us. We had to get the people who had been doing the unspeakable things we had seen.” David’s voice was flat, the pain he had endured and watched overwhelming him. “In the end, it was easy. Billy had a feeling, and we always trusted Billy's intuition. We doubled back the other way, and caught the bastards trying to flank us. I'll never forget the look in Billy's eyes. In my entire life I had never seen Billy so cold, so angry, and so determined."

"Billy killed him, didn't he?" Dom asked, fairly confident as to the answer.

"He had no choice, but yeah. I'm not sure even if there had been a choice that Billy would have seen it," David replied with a shrug. "To get to a secure location for an airlift, it was quicker for us to go forward rather than back, that's when we found it." David leaned forward, head in his hands, his mind's eye filled with the images he had seen that day.

Dom slid to his knees in front of David, one trembling hand resting on David's knee. "Found what, Daisy?"

"Another village. They were all dead. Men, women, young and old, children, babies, pets. They had snuffed out everything that was alive and good in that village." David lifted his head, eyes glazed with tearful memories.

"Why?" Dom gasped.

"Because they could. Maybe it was because their chief wouldn't pay insurance, maybe it was because they were the unlucky ones in the wrong place at the wrong time. Who knows. It was fucking horrible. Bodies scattered where they had fallen, the stench of blood and death in the air," David continued flatly. "Part of Billy died that day. He wouldn't leave the village until we had buried every last one of the villagers. It wasn't the first time he had seen that sort of thing, but it was the last straw for him."

"And for you?" Dom whispered, his hand stroking David's knee soothingly.

"We all deal in different ways, Dom," David answered. "You know that better than most. Craig is more expressive with his feelings. I have to save things. Billy, well, Billy shut down, emotionally, swore he'd never bring children into a world where things he had seen could happen in. And until you showed up, that was the last time I saw my brother show any kind of emotion."

"I'm sorry that you all had to go through that, because nobody should have to see what you have seen." Hating what the world had put these brave men through, tears trickled down Dom's cheeks.

Sighing heavily, David reached out and wiped Dom's tears away with his thumb. "I didn't tell you this to upset you, Dom."

"I know," Dom answered, and then drew a deep, steadying breath. "What happened after that?"

"We were airlifted out, but the whole trip back, Billy never said anything else to any of us. To my knowledge, apart from Cate's de-briefing, he hasn't spoken about it to another person. When we got back to base, he spent a long time in Cate's office. The next morning, I found a note tacked my door, and Billy was gone. It didn't say anything other than sorry, I can't do this anymore, look after Craig for me. That was it. We didn't hear from him for months, he just disappeared," David explained.

"He must have been so hurt, to leave you both like that," Dom murmured.

"He'd been the strong one for years, but, every one has their breaking point, and that village was Billy's," David agreed.

"Is that when he found the Double L?" Dom asked.

"Yeah." David nodded. "On one of his first missions, Billy's team liberated a UN humanitarian group. Viggo was part of it, and he'd been badly injured. Being the newbie, Billy was left on babysitting detail. It was the best thing they could have done with him. Apparently, Pip and Vig spent hours while they were waiting for evac, talking. They discovered they had a mutual love of Tolkien books, action movies and archaeology, among other things."

Dom quirked his head to the side in confusion as he spoke. "Viggo was with the UN?"

"So I've heard. Don't know for sure, because that was before I signed up. Viggo had given Billy his address, told Billy to look him up when he was back stateside. When Billy got here, Viggo wasn't. He and his father apparently had had a falling out."

Nodding in understanding, Dom quietly added, "Billy said that Viggo's father was a drunk."

"The old man mistook Billy for a buyer. Billy had plenty of money, was in a world of hurt, and looking for a home. He bought in, and when the old man drank himself to death less than six months later, Billy tracked Viggo down, and their partnership was formed."

"And the ranch became home for both of them," Dom stated in understanding. "Where did the Double L's name come from?"

"Courtesy of their Tolkien love, Viggo and Billy renamed the place Lothlorien, which immediately became the Double L for branding purposes, and you know the rest."

"Nobody is going to hurt him again, David," Dom vowed quietly.

"I know that." David shrugged. "Just like I know that you needed to be told this, so you can fix him."

"Why didn't he want me to know?" Dom murmured to himself as he stood. Moving over to the barn door, Dom's eyes fixed on the old ranch house. "There's no shame in anything he did."

"You're everything that's sunshine and happiness in his life, Dom," David replied, walking over to stand next to the smaller man. "He didn't want you to see his darkness."

"I'm not the hothouse flower he thinks I am," Dom retorted with a soft sigh.

"He knows that." David smiled wryly at Dom's frustration. "But it's in his nature to protect those he loves. You're so much like Craig, he would have been drawn to you even if he wasn't attracted to you. He's just trying to protect you from himself. It's up to you to show him that you won't break."

"How do I do that?" Dom frowned, turning to face David.

"Fucked if I know," David said with a shrug. "But persevere; you're the best thing that's ever happened to him."

"Thanks," Dom said shyly as he blushed deeply. Pulling David into a tight embrace, he hugged the cowboy warmly. "We just have to find someone for you now."

"That's typical," David chuckled as he rolled his eyes, releasing Dom. "Lovers. Just because they're happy and in love, they have to try to _infect_ everyone else."

"Can it, Daisy. You know you love it."

Dom laughed as he walked out of the barn.

~*~*~*~*~*~

Meeting his lover in the dining room of the main house, Dom's fingers traced the dark shadows under Billy's eyes, he desperately wanted to say something to Billy, to somehow ease his torment but he couldn’t. Kissing Billy gently in greeting, Dom took Daisy-May from Billy's arms, snuggling her affectionately as he hugged Billy with his free arm.

Now, knowing and understanding the pain Billy was feeling, Dom couldn't help but think about the horrors Billy had seen. How those experiences had shaped Billy as a man, as a lover, and now as a father. Distracted and unable to hide the feelings coursing through him, Dom couldn't stop touching his gentle lover. Dom's caressing fingers barely left Billy's hand, arm, and thigh, his touch soothing himself more than anything else.

Unsure of his ability to speak coherently to Billy, either about the nightmares or his own concerns, especially before he had time to process them, Dom did the only thing he could. Making excuses to Billy, begging out of their daily lunch date, Dom took Daisy-May on a mission, exploring the grassy expanses of the home yards, introducing the tiny cherub to the insect life that surrounded them. Talking to Daisy-May, the insects they found, and sometimes even the sky about the troubling thoughts that were coursing through his mind, Dom slowly absorbed David's revelations, eventually making a decision.

As day faded into night, they dined as was normal in the main house, with their extended family and the ranch hands. After dinner, Daisy-May and Milo played together in a large play crib in the corner of the kitchen while Viggo, Billy and David discussed ranch business over coffee. Liv and Dom restored the kitchen to it's normally pristine condition, and prepared for the approach of their early breakfast, talking all the while about their families, their kids and the ongoing excavations at Arwen Canyon.

Ranch business completed for the night, the group separated, retreating to their own houses. Bathing their daughter together, dressing her for bedtime, Billy and Dom retired to the comfortable sofa in their living room, gentle guitar music wafting from the stereo speakers, relaxing all three of them. Curling into Billy's side, Dom's head rested on Billy's shoulder as Billy's warm, strong arm wrapped around him. Silently, they watched their daughter slowly fall asleep where she lay in Billy's lap, his small hand rubbing her belly soothingly as she drifted off.

So many times, Dom opened his mouth to tell Billy he knew about his past, but hearing Billy's voice, softly singing lullabies to their daughter, and feeling Billy's body relaxed and content against his own, Dom couldn't bring himself to steal that from his lover. Not when he had so little peace in his life already.

~*~*~*~*~*~

Hours later, waking to cold sheets and empty arms once again, Dom padded through the house silently, searching for his tormented lover, long fingers scrubbing through his hair, and a soundless yawn bubbling from his lips. Hearing the soft, accented voice crooning to Daisy-May, Dom smiled sadly as he stepped through the door and onto the moonlit porch.

"Go back to bed, Honey," Billy said in the same, crooning voice he sang with.

"No can do." Dom smiled as he sank onto the swing beside Billy. "A gorgeous man moved into my bed a few months ago, and now I can't sleep without him."

"I'm sorry, Honey," Billy murmured. "I didn't mean to wake you."

"I know, Bills." Reaching over and brushing the tip of his finger across Daisy-May's cheek, Dom smiled as she snuggled deeper into Billy's chest in her sleep. "I think we should put her to bed, I need to talk to you."

Frowning, Billy watched as Dom stood and extended a long fingered hand to him. "I don't want to talk about it, Dommie."

"Let's put Sugarplum to bed," Dom repeated softly. "Then we'll talk."

Minutes later, Daisy-May was tucked into her crib, and Dom led Billy to their bedroom. Watching as Billy settled onto the edge of the mattress, his eyes following Dom warily, Dom paced nervously, still unsure of exactly what to say.

"I'm serious, Dom. I don't want to talk about it." Billy paused, his accent thick as his voice caught on the knot of emotion in his throat. "I can't Honey. Please?"

"I don't want you to talk about it, Bills," Dom replied softly, moving to kneel at Billy's feet. "I know."

Realizing that Dom knew the details of his dark past, Billy swore under his breath, his whole body tensing. "David had no right to say anything," he growled.

"Why not, Billy?" Dom asked, rising lithely to his feet, pacing away from his lover and returning to stand in front of him again, one hand reaching out to touch his tousled, ginger hair. "Yes, I went to David, because it tears me up to see you in pain. You were hurting, and you wouldn't tell me what was going on. I had to go to him, I had to find out what was tearing you up inside. I thought maybe it was me, maybe I'd done something. I had to do something, Billy." Slowly, Dom sank to his knees in front of Billy. "I can't stand seeing you like this."

"That's why I've never told you, Dommie. I didn't want to hurt you. You're my sunshine and light, Honey." Billy closed his eyes briefly, trying desperately to push the images of death and destruction from his mind. "The darkness I saw, the unspeakable things that I did, can only hurt you, and I'd die before I'd let anything, even me, hurt you."

Pushing his torso between Billy's knees, Dom pressed closer so he could wrap his long arms around Billy's waist, hugging him tightly as he spoke. "I'm going to call Miranda and tell her we appreciate it, but we can't take her up on her offer," Dom murmured, his face pressed against Billy's chest. "I won't let you suffer like this."

Billy pulled back from Dom's arms, cupping his tear-wet face in his hands. "What are you talking about, Honey?"

"Daisy-May is all that we need, _You_ are more than I ever expected. I love you, Billy. You're all that I have ever needed." Dom closed his eyes briefly, blinking his tears away. "Just to know that you're happy and love me." Dom shrugged. "That's all I need."

"You want a baby of your own, Honey," Billy replied with a sigh. "Randy can give you that."

"I want you, Billy. I. Love. you." Dom stated, looking deep into Billy's eyes as he formed each word. "I won't break you, I need you. You're my world, my life, my rock. I don't need children to make my life complete. You made my life complete all those months ago when you kissed me the first time. Yes, it's cliché and corny, but its true. You made me whole. You completed me, and I don't need anything else. Just you, and I don't know how else to say it."

"You really mean that, don't you?" Billy asked with shining eyes.

"I'm not that fucking asshole that hurt you before, Billy. I'm me. I'm your Honey. Of course I mean it." Dom sighed softly, his fingers tracing Billy's face tenderly. "I don't know how else to prove it to you, Billy. I'm nothing without you. I want to be with you forever."

"Don't ever say that you're nothing, Honey," Billy growled. "You're a beautiful, talented, loving man. You're more amazing than even I thought you could be."

"Maybe," Dom acquiesced as he nodded. "But before I met you, I was a ghost. I was alive, but I wasn't living. You showed me what life could be, you showed me what it is to love and be loved. You taught me that I could be everything I ever wanted to be, have everything I ever wanted. You. You're all I ever wanted, but was afraid to dream of."

Hot tears trickled from Billy's glistening green eyes. "I don't know what I did to deserve your love. I don't know why you would love a broken down old fool, but everyday I thank God that you found me."

"You're wrong, Bills, Dom corrected. "I'm the one who should be thankful. You've given me so much that I never thought I'd have."

"I want you to go ahead with Miranda's proposition," Billy murmured, pulling Dom up to sit on the edge of the bed beside him.

"We're good, Billy." Dom smiled, cupping Billy's face, thumb tracing Billy's cheekbone. "You, me, and Daisy-May. We're a good family, we'll be fine."

"No." Billy shook his head in protest. "I want you to have your own baby, Dom. I'll be okay, I'll deal with it."

"I don't want you to _deal_ with it." Dom shook his head. "I want you to love it as much as you love me. I want you to be happy to have a child, not just have it because you know I want one."

"I'm scared, Honey," Billy almost sobbed. "I couldn't save children I went to save, how can I expect to keep a sweet, innocent baby safe?"

"If we were to do have a baby, Billy, it would be as safe as it could be. We have a different culture here," Dom said calmly trying to soothe his lover's fears. "Because this baby, it will have us both. Between us, we'll be able to keep it safe."

"I saw so many babies killed, maimed, or thrown away like yesterday's garbage." Billy drew a deep breath, trying to pull his thoughts away from the memories that were tearing him apart. "It didn't matter how much they were loved, I couldn't save them." Looking up into Dom's face, he spoke flatly. "I couldn't save any of them, Dom. How can I expect to keep my own safe? I can't lose one of my own, Honey. I can't."

"I can't promise you that you won't, Billy. Nobody can, but I can promise you that our baby would be as safe as we can make them. They'd have us, and they'd have Daisy and Liv and Viggo. They'd have the best family a child could want. They'd have the Double L. It would be their playground, and their haven. I can't promise you that things won't go wrong, but I can promise you that they'll be as safe as they can humanly be."

"I know I'm being completely unreasonable." Billy sighed, one hand rubbing his face, trying to collect his scattered thoughts. "I want you to have a baby, Dom. I want to be happy that we're making a family and believe me," Billy pressed a hand across his heart. "In here, I am happy, truly." Taking a deep breath, Billy paused. "But it's hard to forget, Dom. I'm trying. Believe me I'm trying. It'll take me time, but for you, I'm trying."

"That's why I'm going to tell Miranda thanks, but no thanks."

"Why?" Billy asked quietly.

"Because I don't want my baby, Billy, Dom explained. "I want our baby. Until _you_ can see our baby, I can't do that. Not to you, not to me, and certainly not to a baby."

"Of course it will be our baby." Billy said and then shrugged. "I just assumed it would be you that would be the father."

"I won't do this unless we both take equal part, Bills. I don't want our baby to be my baby or your baby, Dom continued, eyes locked onto Billy's. "I want us to both go through the process(,) and let whatever deity it is decide for us who the biological father is."

"You'd want that with me?" Billy murmured, his fingers cupping Dom's face.

"Have you been listening to me at all, Bills?" Smiling, Dom pushed Billy back until he was laying on the bed. Moving to straddle Billy, Dom kissed him deeply. "I love you, you love me, I want our baby to be made in love."

"Of course I've been listening." Pulling Dom down against him, Billy's arms wrapped around Dom, fitting their bodies together and cuddling him close. "I can't promise my nightmares will disappear, but I promise you, Honey, I do want our baby."

Lips sliding across Billy's mouth wetly, hands tangling in Billy's hair, Dom smiled as he spoke. "I love you, Billy. I can't ask for anything else."

[Epilogue](http://community.livejournal.com/monaboyd/1658956.html)

  



	36. Western Lovers: Cowboys and Archaeologists Epilogue

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Be careful what you wish for.

_**FIC: Western Lovers:Cowboys & Archaeologists - Epilogue**_  
  


[](http://photobucket.com)

  
 **Title:** Western Lovers: Cowboys and Archaeologists Epilogue  
 **Author:** [](http://sassywitch.livejournal.com/profile)[**sassywitch**](http://sassywitch.livejournal.com/)  
 **Pairing:** BB/DM  
 **Rating:** NC-17, to be on the safe side.  
 **Summary:** Be careful what you wish for.  
 **Feedback:** Feedback is my writers crack, which is not to be confused at all with plumbers crack.  
 **Disclaimer:** Not at all true in reality. These men whilst adorable and perfectly happy to slash themselves, their actual relationship is something that they only know. This story is adapted from a series of books that I adored when I was younger written by Elizabeth Lowell.  
 **Word Count:** 8390 **  
Header Art:** Courtesy of the incredibly talented [](http://loki-girl.livejournal.com/profile)[**loki_girl**](http://loki-girl.livejournal.com/)  
 **Previous Chapters:**  
[Chapter 1](http://community.livejournal.com/monaboyd/1608813.html)|[Chapter 2](http://community.livejournal.com/monaboyd/1611126.html)|[Chapter 3](http://community.livejournal.com/monaboyd/1612104.html)|[Chapter 4](http://community.livejournal.com/monaboyd/1613169.html)|[Chapter 5](http://community.livejournal.com/monaboyd/1614376.html)|[Chapter 6](http://community.livejournal.com/monaboyd/1615156.html)|[Chapter 7](http://community.livejournal.com/monaboyd/1616482.html)|[Chapter 8](http://community.livejournal.com/monaboyd/1616969.html)|[Chapter 9](http://community.livejournal.com/monaboyd/1618576.html)|[Chapter 10](http://community.livejournal.com/monaboyd/1618985.html)|[Chapter 11](http://community.livejournal.com/monaboyd/1619204.html)|[Chapter 12](http://community.livejournal.com/monaboyd/1621559.html)|[Chapter 13](http://community.livejournal.com/monaboyd/1623263.html)|[Chapter 14](http://community.livejournal.com/monaboyd/1625122.html)|[Chapter 15](http://community.livejournal.com/monaboyd/1627167.html)|[Chapter 16](http://community.livejournal.com/monaboyd/1629471.html)|[Chapter 17](http://community.livejournal.com/monaboyd/1632947.html)|[Chapter 18](http://community.livejournal.com/monaboyd/1634418.html)|[Chapter 19](http://community.livejournal.com/monaboyd/1634981.html)|[Chapter 20](http://community.livejournal.com/monaboyd/1636638.html)|[Chapter 21](http://community.livejournal.com/monaboyd/1637642.html)|[Chapter 22](http://community.livejournal.com/monaboyd/1639580.html)|[Chapter 23](http://community.livejournal.com/monaboyd/1640889.html)|[Chapter 24](http://community.livejournal.com/monaboyd/1643222.html)|[Chapter 25](http://community.livejournal.com/monaboyd/1644983.html)|[Chapter 26](http://community.livejournal.com/monaboyd/1647573.html)|[Chapter 27](http://community.livejournal.com/monaboyd/1650371.html)|[Chapter 28](http://community.livejournal.com/monaboyd/1650642.html)|[Chapter 29](http://community.livejournal.com/monaboyd/1651640.html)|[Chapter 30](http://community.livejournal.com/monaboyd/1654942.html)|[Chapter 31](http://community.livejournal.com/monaboyd/1654942.html)|[Chapter 32](http://community.livejournal.com/monaboyd/1655645.html)|[Chapter 33](http://community.livejournal.com/monaboyd/1656893.html)|

 **A/N 1:** A huge thank you to [](http://dylan-dufresne.livejournal.com/profile)[**dylan_dufresne**](http://dylan-dufresne.livejournal.com/) for the inspiration, the prodding and the beta. She really deserves far more credit than just beta, she should get co-author credit, she poured as much blood sweat and tears into _Western Lovers_ as I did, maybe even more. This fic wouldn't be what it is without her labour of love. She neglected her own ceations to make mine the best it could be and because my grammar sucks really, really badly she had to sufferit so nobody else had to. When I was stuck (including the closing lines), she found the way for me and she'll never know how much I appreciate it.

 **A/N 2:** _Western Lovers: Cowboys & Biologists_ (affectionately known as the Ordaisy story) is currently under construction, you should see it in late July.

 **A/N 3:** Since this is the end of the first book of the series, I'd just like to say thank you to anybody who read and enjoyed this. It was my first attempt at a long series and you all made it a joy to create.

~*~*~*~*~*~ 

"It's a good day to make a real family of us, isn't it gorgeous?"

Pulling the frothy pink dress over his daughter's head, Billy slipped her little arms into the sleeves and chuckled as she bunched the fabric in her tiny hands. Face alight with wonder at the texture of the stiff, cotton lace in her fingers, the little girl looked up to Billy for explanation, her eyes wide in fascination. Standing her on the floor in front of him, Billy hunkered down, his fingers tracing the fabric.

"Billy?" Daisy-May's quiet voice was filled with questions her mind didn't know how to ask. Her face scrunched up in confusion as her inquisitive fingers plucked at the unfamiliar fabric.

"It's lace, Sugarplum." Billy smiled and tweaked her sweet nose with two, small fingertips. "It's what little girls wear." Watching as Daisy-May's head tilted slowly, trying to understand Billy's words, Billy nodded in encouragement.

Gently straightening Daisy-May's lopsided, riotously curling pigtails, Billy kissed her forehead and lifted her to sit on the change table before he gently slipped white lacy socks, and pink, patent leather shoes on her tiny feet. Lifting the little girl into his arms, Billy cradled her against his body, and lifting her higher in his arms, he rubbed his cheek against her belly, bringing a bright, wide smile to her little face.

"Ready?" Dom asked as he poked his head into Daisy-May's bedroom.

"DomDaddy!" Daisy-May squealed, extending her arms to the younger man.

"Aye," Billy murmured, leaning in to kiss his lover tenderly and passing their daughter to him.

"Shouldn't one of us not be looking?" Dom asked with a cheeky grin.

"Depends on which of us is the bride," Billy replied with a chuckle.

"My guess is you, since you're the one in the skirt and all." Dom ducked away from the playful punch Billy shot at him.

"It's a kilt, you silly git," Billy laughed. "And, I didn't see you laughing at it the first time you saw me in one." Small fingers traced lightly across Dom's cheekbone as he spoke. "How did I get to be the one in the skirt? You’re the one wearing the make up?

"It lets me see your incredibly sexy knees, and besides, that one was black leather." Dom leaned in and caught Billy's chin with one hand, kissing him deeply. "And I thought you liked the eyeliner," Dom teased breathily. "Should I take it off?"

"Don't you dare," Billy murmured, waiting for their kiss.

Pressing their foreheads together, their breath uneven, their kisses fanned the flames that constantly sparked between them. Impatient with her parent’s affections, Daisy-May's little hands batted at Billy's chest, impatient to be let down, babbling in the limited vocabulary that was growing by the day.

"When you first came here, did you think you'd ever be doing this?" Billy asked softly.

"What? Getting married? Having a beautiful daughter and a pair of our own babies on the way? A job that I love almost as much as I love you? A beautiful home? Jesus, Billy. I couldn't even dream of one of those things, and now I have them all. What do you think?"

"That I'm the luckiest man alive," Billy sighed as he leaned in to kiss Dom again.

"Boys?" Liv's voice drifted in from the front of the house. "Are you decent?"

"Depends on your definition of decent, Livvie," Dom called, bending to kiss Billy again, even as his long fingers cupped their daughter's curly head.

"I've got a guest that insisted on seeing you before the ceremony," Liv said warmly as her head appeared around the edge of the bedroom door. "And I thought you might like me to take Miss Daisy-May back with me." Extending her hands out to the little girl, Liv eagerly scooped her up from Dom’s arms. "I swear, Milo is pining for his little co-conspirator."

"What guest?" Billy asked, frowning as they followed Liv towards out of their bedroom.

"No one special," Liv called noncommittally over her shoulder. Fingers tickling Daisy-May's belly as she spoke, Liv walked quickly towards the door, on her way to back to the preparations. "Just…"

"Craig!" Billy exclaimed, stepping quickly around Dom and flinging himself into his brother's arms.

Giving them a few moments, Dom stood in their bedroom doorway, watching Billy's reunion with his youngest sibling. Dom's face was creased with a broad smile, as Billy's joy in seeing his baby brother was infectious. While Billy's arms wrapped around Craig's waist and they embraced tightly, unashamed of the intimate affection, tears welled in Dom's eyes as he realized how happy Craig's surprise visit had made Billy. Months ago, Dom and David had decided to conspire together to surprise Billy with a family reunion at their commitment ceremony, and when Craig had called to offer his dismay at being unable to attend the celebration, Billy had been heartbroken. It had been all Dom could do, not to confess the secret to Billy, but now, Dom was overjoyed that he'd been strong, and stayed silent.

Stepping forward, Dom waited patiently for the brother's embrace to end before he extended a hand in greeting. Dom started to speak, but was cut off when he was hauled into a tight, full body hug.

"You're Dom. I'd know you anywhere," Craig said welcomingly, hugging the smaller man tightly. "I've said it before, but thank you from making my big brother happy."

"Hey, he makes me happy." Dom hugged Craig tightly as he replied with a grin. "It's a fair trade."

Watching his lover and his brother, Billy couldn’t help but notice Dom's obvious comfort with Craig, and the huge change, compared to how Dom was at their first meeting. It had been at least two years since Billy had seen his sibling, and he drank in Craig's appearance hungrily. In that time, Craig had lost his soft edges, was now tall and lean, his shoulders broadly muscled inside his formal suit jacket. Hair dark blonde and close cropped in military style, his skin was deeply tanned, and his sky blue eyes were smiling. Billy smiled as he realized for the first time that Craig was wearing a kilt in the family tartan. Eyes narrowing in greater scrutiny, Billy realized that Craig was dressed identically to how they had planned for David, his best man, to be dressed.

"I've been had, haven't I?" Billy asked softly, unable to be annoyed at the subterfuge.

"Maybe," Dom replied quietly. "We all wanted to surprise you. I'm sorry if we hurt you." Moving to Billy's side, Dom embraced him gently.

"Is the coast clear?" David called from the doorway. Standing in the open doorway, David smiled at his siblings happily, then frowned as they turned and laughed at him.

Framed by afternoon sunlight, standing in the doorway, David was dressed in the same red and green tartan kilt that both his brothers wore, along with the knee-high stockings and shiny leather gillie shoes, laced around his ankles. Topped with a pristine, white shirt and black, formal jacket, David's formal attire was completed by a sporran at his waist and thistle on his lapel, but that wasn't what his family found amusing. David had trimmed his beard neatly, but was wearing his favorite battered, white straw cowboy hat, and what could only be described as black, reflective, _Terminator_ sunglasses. The incongruity of his accessories brought hearty laughter to the room.

"I'm losing the hat, alright?" David offered with a grin as he stepped into the room.

"It's a good thing, Dais," Craig chuckled. "I don't think I could pull off quite the same Brokeback meets Braveheart look."

Striding across the room, David pulled Craig into his arms for a tight, affectionate hug.

"I've missed you," Craig whispered against David's shoulder.

"You need to come home, Craig," Billy stated gently, watching as his brother's stepped apart, then dragged him into their combined embrace.

"Soon," Craig replied, lips pressed to Billy's hair. "I'm not sure if I can yet."

Dom frowned in confusion as he watched Billy and David nod their silent understanding.

As Dom gazed at them, the three men clung together tightly, each drawing comfort from their siblings. Tears welled in Dom's eyes, the bond shared by the three brothers an almost tangible force around them. Slipping one arm free, David murmured softly and gestured to Dom. Looking up, his eyes glistening, Billy extended a hand to his lover, and watched as Dom slowly walked closer.

Lacing his fingers with Billy's, Dom stepped into their open arms. Leaning his head against Billy's, one long arm wrapped around his waist, Dom's breath was warm on Billy's cheek.

"Happy?" Dom whispered, his free hand lifting to trail across Billy's face.

"Couldn't be any happier," Billy murmured, lifting his arm from around Craig's waist to cup Dom's face with trembling fingers. "Thank you."

"My pleasure." Dom sighed, tilting his head so that their lips met in a long, lingering kiss.

"Hey," David rumbled as he stepped back from the embrace, pulling a grinning Craig with him. "Break it up, you two."

"Why?" Billy murmured against Dom's lips as he closed his arms around Dom's waist and pulled their bodies together firmly.

"Because there's about a hundred people at the main house waiting to see you committed," David answered.

"Just when I thought we were the only sane ones," Dom said with a laugh. Drawing slightly away from Billy's lips, Dom rested his forehead against Billy's as he caught his breath.

"Are they always like this?" Craig asked, shielding his mouth in a mock stage whisper.

"Only when they're breathing," David replied, chuckling.

"Don't you two have someplace else to be?" Billy muttered, looking pointedly at his siblings.

"Yeah," David laughed. "But we're not going anywhere without you. I know what happens when we leave you two alone."

"Just give us five minutes?" Dom requested, smiling and fluttering his lashes at David.

"Five." David nodded in agreement. "But just five. If you're not on your way by then, I'll come looking."

"Yes, Dad." Dom laughed, pulling Billy back into a kiss.

Throwing his arm around Craig's shoulder, David lead him out of the old ranch house.  
~*~*~*~*~*~

Mingling with the crowd, waiting for the appearance of the happy couple, Craig wandered around the corner of the main house. Striding up the stairs onto the verandah, he was surprised to find a large, muscular man seated in a rocking chair, gazing out at the gorgeous view of the ranch. Walking closer, a broad smile creased Craig's face as he noticed the baby ensconced in the man's arms.

"Yours?" Craig asked quietly, leaning in to look at the infant cradled in the crook of his elbow.

"Nope," Sean answered. "My niece." Sean's long index finger tickled the baby's cheek, smiling as she gurgled and kicked in his embrace.

"Pity. She suits you," Craig replied with a smile as he watched the loving interaction. "She's a lucky little girl."

"She is indeed," Sean agreed, snuggling the baby, he extended a hand to Craig in greeting. "Sean Bean, and this is Rosie Mortensen." He gestured at the baby.

Sliding his hand against Sean's warm, calloused fingers, Craig smiled broadly. "Craig Parker," he offered. "I'm Billy's youngest brother." Craig paused and watched Sean closely. "Bean, you say? Liv's brother?"

"The one and only." Sean smiled. "You have something against ranching or is there some other reason you've been hiding?"

"I'm in the military. I've still got a little bit of time left on my tour," Craig answered with a shrug.

"Have you got any plans for life after the military?" Sean asked.

"Not so far," Craig replied. "Billy wants me to come and settle here. I miss my brothers, but I'm not sure I'm ready to cowboy up right away."

"Liv's exactly the same. Go with the flow." Sean nodded in understanding, "Don't let them rush you. Do what I do. Go wherever the work leads you, and just remember that there is a home here."

"What _do_ you do?" Craig questioned, intrigued by the older man.

"I'm a geologist. When I'm in the country, I live here in the bunkhouse, but I've been in South America a lot lately."

"Me too. Been in South America, that is. I'm not a Geologist, but you already knew that," Craig added, his words running together with a nervous smile. "We'll have to compare notes sometime."

Sean gestured towards the path between the two houses. "Looks like you're on duty. The lovebirds are coming."

Moving to the edge of the verandah, Craig watched Billy and Dom walk hand in hand along the path towards the garden pavilion, where their guests waited.

"Will you be here after the ceremony?" Craig asked tentatively.

"Sure will," Sean replied quickly. "I'm looking forward to a beer with you."

"It's a date then," Craig acknowledged, and moved quickly down the stairs to join David as he strode across the short distance to Billy and Dom.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Gripping Dom's hand tightly, Billy walked beside him proudly, feeling the slight tremor of nerves as Dom noticed the crowd of their friends watching them approach. Pulling Dom to a stop beside him, Billy reached up stroke his lover's face with silent adoration. Leaning in to kiss Dom tenderly, Billy let his thumb brush across Dom's cheek before he pulled back just enough to speak to him.

"Nervous?" Billy asked quietly.

"A little," Dom murmured. "But it's good nerves."

"There's only one thing you need to remember." Billy leaned in to kiss Dom as he spoke.

"What's that?" Dom inquired distractedly.

"I love you," Billy whispered against his lips.

Taking a deep breath, Billy extended his fingers, ruffling them through Dom's disheveled hair as he did. Lacing his fingers with Dom's again, they walked the remaining distance to join their guests.

As Billy and Dom stepped into the airy garden pavilion, their friends applauded them, and the gentle strains of a small string ensemble beginning to play. They paused for a moment to greet Daisy-May and her gleefully waving hands before they stepped up to shake hands with the celebrant who waited patiently for their arrival.

Standing in front of the celebrant, their hands clasped tightly, the couple listened intently to the words being said. It wasn't really a wedding, but a public declaration of their intentions and their love, but that didn't make his attitude any less professional. Dressed in a sharp black suit and crisp white shirt, thick salt and pepper hair slicked back tidily, he smiled warmly at the two men who stood before him as he spoke.

Months ago Billy and Dom had sat down with the celebrant and decided on the simple words that would be spoken at their ceremony, and now standing here listening, Billy turned his head to look at his young lover, memories drawing him back almost eighteen months. The moment when Dom had stepped from his car into the golden sunlight had changed both of their lives forever. Even dealing with the cruelty of a ranch hand and his own blind fury at the pain and suffering the man's ignorance had created, Billy hadn't failed to notice Dom. With a honey-blonde halo of hair, concern outweighing the fear in his smoky blue eyes, Dom's too slender body was shielded from inquisitive eyes, thanks to clothes far too big for his body. Despite all his efforts to the contrary, Dom was captivating. Getting to know the man who hid inside the timid exterior had only made him more attractive in Billy's eyes.

Watching Dom, the celebrants words faded, and Billy's concentration was completely focused on his young lover. The wounded young man, hidden in a cocoon of self protection when he arrived, had disappeared. As the cocoon had opened and Dom had unfurled his wings, a beautiful butterfly had emerged. Shaking his head minutely to clear his thoughts, Billy realized that butterfly wasn't strictly correct; his Honey was more like a moth. Whilst not technically beautiful at first glance, their struggle to survive helped to reveal their true beauty. Moths were stronger, with so much more resilience than their beautiful, delicate counterparts. Yes, he thought, his Honey was a moth. Strong, healthy and filled with a newfound self-assurance, he had grown into the man Billy had known he could be when he first saw him, but still shrouded by the gentle, emotional delicacy that was so much a part of Dom's soul. A father, a lover, a teacher, and a partner in all aspects of Billy's life, he couldn't imagine a world without Dom in it, and wondered how he had managed to survive so long without him.

Billy's thumb traced Dom's palm as he watched, and Dom's tongue darted out to moisten his lips, his hand squeezing Billy's tightly, his touch soothing Billy's sudden nerves. Startled by music suddenly accompanying his musings, Billy's eyes widened as Dom tugged gently on their joined hands and took a step closer, his free hand rising to cup Billy's chin and turn their faces together.

"Paying attention, Bills?" Dom murmured, his thumb caressing Billy's lower lip, knowing full well that Billy's thoughts had been far from their ceremony.

"Sorry, I'll watch the highlights later," Billy promised his lover, lifting a hand to brush a fingertip against the lips he'd been watching hungrily.

Accepting the ring that his youngest brother held out to him, Billy slid it on to Dom's finger, and lifting Dom's hand to his lips, Billy kissed the knuckles gently before releasing his hand.

Watching Billy, eyes never leaving his face, the soft, gentle smile that was reserved completely for Billy curled up the corners of Dom's lips, as he extended a hand to Billy's other brother. David's fingers brushed his palm as he surrendered Billy's ring into Dom's keeping. Lifting the platinum band to his lips, Dom kissed it before taking Billy's hand in his own and slid the ring onto Billy's small finger. Kissing Billy's knuckle softly, Dom turned Billy's hand over and pressed a wet, open mouthed kiss in Billy's palm.

Eyes fixed on each others faces, they barely registered the celebrants final words before he declared that they could seal their intentions with a kiss. Stepping closer, each tenderly clasped the others face, and their lips met in a gentle kiss, filled with love and devotion. As they drew apart, hands sliding together and fingers laced, their guests stepped forward to congratulate them.

Clad in a simple but elegant black dress, Liv cradled her baby daughter Rosie in one arm, and hugged Billy tightly with the other.

"I was beginning to think this day would never come," Liv stated as she released him.

"We couldn't do this until Daisy-May's new passport was settled," Billy answered with a shrug. "But we're here now, and that's all that matters."

"Unhand my woman!" Viggo growled as he approached. Dressed in a traditional, western cut suit, a bolo tie and a black felt cowboy hat, he held the pink, lacy, Daisy-May in one arm and Milo, in a tiny suit matching his daddy's, in the other. The stern edge to Viggo's voice dissolved as Daisy-May, excited by the sparkling, silver balloons that surrounded them, attached her little fingers to his scruffy beard and pulled sharply. Daisy-May bouncing in Viggo's tight grip excited Milo as well, and he struggled to be put down on the ground, his fingers wrapping around his father's string tie and pulling it.

"Having fun, Vig?" Dom asked as he moved to slide his arm around Billy's waist, kissing his cheek affectionately.

"Absolutely." Viggo nodded, letting Daisy-May's fingers pull at his lip as he replied, all the while juggling his son on his other hip. "You two absolutely sure you want to take your daughter on your honeymoon?"

"Are you volunteering?" Billy inquired, quirking one eyebrow at Viggo as he struggled not to laugh. Milo and Daisy-May had silently decided to join forces, and struggling to climb higher up Viggo's body, they each fought to catch hold of the brim of his hat.

"You know we'd keep her here. She's a joy, and besides, Milo is going to miss her," Viggo explained, sighing as his hat was knocked off his head and landed on the dusty ground behind him.

"We thought about it," Dom said with a laugh. "But we don't know how long it will take to coax mum over for a visit."

"Besides, we're a family." Billy slipped his arm around Dom's waist as he spoke. "It wouldn't be the same, leaving part of our family behind."

When Daisy-May leaned out, her little arms waving for her daddy, Billy stepped forward and took their giggling cherub into his embrace before kissing her cheek with a loud, smacking noise, causing her giggles to increase. Billy looked up with a grin into the smiling face of his former employer, and after passing Daisy-May to Dom, Billy opened his arms to the statuesque blonde. A moment later, Cate and Billy embraced tightly.

"Should I be jealous?" Dom asked with a smile as they drew apart. Extending his free hand, he waited to greet his partner's old friend. He’d already noticed the beautiful, ethereal blonde standing slightly to the rear of their friends, observing, but not interacting. Her smile was friendly, but her demeanor did little to invite interaction.

"Absolutely not," Cate laughed, rubbing Billy's shoulder affectionately. "I knew a long time ago what direction my favorite employees needs took. I’m Cate, you must be Dom. I'm glad he finally found you."

"Me too," Dom answered sincerely. "If you'll excuse me," he said and then leaned in to press a kiss against Billy's cheek. "I'll be back in a minute. I'm just taking Sugarplum here back to her Uncle Viggo."

"Don't be long." Billy sighed, pressing a warm, lingering kiss to Dom's lips, his fingers brushing across Daisy-May's cheek before Dom walked away

"It's good to see you happy," Cate said with a fond smile, drawing Billy into a second embrace.

"It's good to finally be happy," Billy answered warily. "I've missed you."

"He's beautiful, Billy," Cate commented. "And he loves you desperately."

"That's why we fit; I love him just as desperately," Billy answered absently as he watched Dom walking away. Turning back to Cate, he frowned. "How did you know about my preferences? We've never talked about it."

"Give me some credit, Billy," Cate replied dryly, her eyes rolling in consternation. "I've known about all three of you since not long after you signed on with me. I don't care who you want to shag, that's your business. It's got nothing to do with me. I'm just glad to see you happy."

"There's not much I miss about working with you," Billy admitted, changing the subject, a frown crossing his face briefly. "But I do miss _you_. We had some good times, didn't we?"

"Yeah, we did. Not a day goes by that I don't miss our late night scotch and philosophy," Cate replied, her brow furrowing in thought. "It's okay, Billy. I'm not looking to take either of you back into the team."

"You know better than to ask me," Billy stated quickly. "And I'd fight you tooth and nail before I'd let you take David."

"Calm down, Billy." Cate smoothed her fingers across his brow as she spoke. "I wouldn't let Craig miss today, but we're on our way to a hotspot, so I thought I'd tag along."

"It was good to see you, Cate," Billy replied, hugging her again.

"You know I'll look after him, Billy," Cate murmured into Billy's hair as they embraced. "You're all practically family. I swear I'll do my best to keep him safe."

"Thank you," Billy whispered, releasing the breath he hadn't been aware of holding.

"I hate to do this, Billy, but I need to take him away," Cate said regretfully. "I have to go and find him."

"Just give me a minute to say goodbye," Billy requested, and watched as she walked towards the house.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Scanning the crowd of guests and family carefully, David's eyes narrowed as he found his baby brother. From his vantage point at the outdoor bar, it didn’t take him long to find his brother, once again on the long verandah that surrounded the main house, talking to Sean.

Sean was leaning against the railing beside Craig, their heads inclined towards each other, feet crossed at the ankles, and long neck beer bottles in their hands as they spoke softly to each other. Their open and intimate posture as they talked quietly spoke volumes to David.

Since they had parted prior to the ceremony, Sean's hungry gaze had been following Craig, and it hadn't escaped David's attention. Glancing at his brother, David quickly decided the attraction was obviously mutual, because Craig practically glowed with every word and every glance he exchanged with the rugged geologist. Watching them, David struggled to push thoughts of Orlando from his own mind. The expression on Craig's face reminded David of the way the delicate Brit had looked at him in the streets of Helm's Deep all those months ago. Seeing himself in Sean, David's lips pressed together in consternation, because he knew exactly what Sean's intentions were, and they were far from honorable.

Snagging a beer from a passing waiter, David made his way across the dusty ground towards his sibling. Climbing the stairs quickly, he smiled warmly at Craig, nodding in greeting, before turning his attention to his companion. His smile now more of a grimace, David extended his hand to Sean.

"Bean," David stated as they shook hands firmly. "When did you get back?"

"Early this morning," Sean answered, frowning slightly.

"Where are the lovebirds?" Craig inquired, smiling warmly at his brother.

"They're looking for you, actually. Cate's getting ready to go," David replied. "I told her I'd come and find you."

Craig turned his attention to Sean, and smiling broadly, he reached out to touch the other man's hand where it lay on the railing. "Will I see you again before I leave?" Craig asked, his fingers tracing Sean's knuckles gently.

"Not going anywhere," Sean answered.

"Won't be long," Craig said before pushing off the railing and hugging David tightly. Smiling broadly at Sean and David, he then bounded down the stairs, heading towards Billy and Dom.

Waiting only long enough for Craig to be out of earshot, Sean turned his attention to David. "I'll bite. What's eating you?" Sean asked mildly.

"You," David growled, standing up straight and pressing his hands to his hips.

"What the fuck have I done?" Sean wondered aloud, utterly confused.

"Leave him alone." David stepped closer. "He's been hurt enough. He doesn't need you screwing with his head."

Sean rose from his leaning position against the railing, his expression hardening as he spoke. "You take a lot on yourself, don't you?"

"He's my baby brother. I know what you want, and you're not getting it from him. Leave him the fuck alone. I won't let you hurt him," David shot back firmly.

"I've known him for a couple of hours, David. Give me a break," Sean replied in disbelief. "Jesus, man. He's an adult. Try giving him some credit."

"I see the way you're looking at him," David accused.

"Have you seen your brother?" Sean asked incredulously. "He's an attractive man, David. Very attractive. Pardon me for thinking he's sexy."

"I won't let you use him." David jabbed his finger at Sean's chest as he spoke heatedly.

Eyes flashing, Sean slapped David's hand away. "For fucks sake, David. Have you listened to yourself? What's your problem? Are you worried that I'm going to treat your brother the way you've treated someone else? Besides, how the hell do you know I'm going to do anything, let alone use him?" Growling his displeasure, Sean walked off the verandah and away from David before he could answer.

David stood watching Sean's retreat, his mind filled with images of a chocolate eyed biologist with tousled curls that had haunted his dreams for months. David couldn't help his anger, because Sean was looking at Craig _exactly_ the same way he had looked at Orlando almost a year ago. When Craig returned, David knew that Sean wouldn't hesitate to act on the mutual attraction that burned between them, while David, however, had turned and walked away from the intense heat that burned between himself and the biologist who had innocently threatened to melt the glacial wall around his heart.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Arms looped around Billy's waist, Dom rested his chin on Billy's shoulder, eyes glistening as they spoke to the mother of their children. Heavily pregnant, Miranda sat on a comfortable chair that had been carried from the house for her to sit on during the ceremony, and she raised a hand to clasp Billy's.

"Are you sure you're alright?" Billy asked, his hand folding around Miranda's warmly, lips brushing against her knuckles.

"Billy, I'm pregnant, not sick," Miranda replied, grinning up at him.

"He's a mother hen," Dom murmured against Billy's throat, understanding Billy's almost obsessive need to assure himself. "He can't help himself."

"I know." Nodding, a broad smile split her face and suddenly, Miranda dragged Billy's hand down to press it against her swollen belly.

Beckoning Dom with her other hand, she waited as he released his hold on Billy and laid his hand in hers. Both men knelt in front of Miranda, their hands on her belly, feeling the kicks and movements of their tiny offspring. It wasn't the first time they had felt the life they had created beneath their fingertips, but feeling the tiny, fluttering movements never ceased to amaze them. Despite the raised eyebrows at the clinic, both men accompanied Miranda to each doctor's appointment, and the ultrasound pictures of their much anticipated babies decorated first the front of their fridge, and later, the special baby books that were slowly being created.

"You're sure that doesn't hurt?" Dom looked up at Miranda, his eyes glistening, free hand reaching for and grasping Billy's tightly.

"I'm sure," Miranda whispered quietly. "I'm so honored to be able to do this for you two."

"Jesus, Randy," Dom said, in awe of the movements under his hand. "I don't know how we'll ever repay you for doing this for us."

"Just love your babies," Miranda replied quickly. "That's all I need."

"We already do," Billy murmured distractedly, his small hand following the movements of the baby's kicking under Miranda's cloth covered belly. “Are you sure it’s okay for us to go?”

“Of course I’m sure. It’s only two weeks,” Miranda assured him. “Besides you know as well as I do that you couldn’t have done this any earlier. You two wouldn’t have gone anywhere without Daisy-May.”

“It seemed to take forever to get her passport sorted.” Dom complained, once again distracted by the movement under his palm.

When the tips of their fingers touched on Miranda's belly, Dom turned to gaze at Billy. It was heartbreaking for Dom, seeing the anticipation in Billy's eyes as he watched the cowboy's small fingers following their babies movements. It seemed like only yesterday that Dom had held his lover in his arms and listened to Billy's child rearing concerns. To see Billy awestruck by the life they had created was all that Dom could wish for. Especially when the pregnancy almost didn't happen.

Soon after they had made their decision, Miranda, Billy and himself had trekked to the only fertility clinic close enough to be a viable option. And had been refused. Heartbroken, they had taken several days to absorb the rejection, both he and Billy had lavished all their love on each other and the tiny cherub, who it seemed, would be their only child.

Miranda, bless her heart, had been unperturbed by the setback and had arrived at the old ranch house with a new plan. One door closes, another one opens, she had said, and explained her new idea to them. Dom's fingers moved to slide over Billy's hand on Miranda's belly, remembering Billy's reluctant nerves on the day they had conceived their babies.

With her own smiling husband in tow, Miranda had arrived and announced that it was time. Dispatching Daisy-May to Aunt Liv for the morning, and sending Dom and Billy to the privacy of their own room before installing herself in the guest room, Miranda had given them a sterile cup and a wink. Dom had needed to restrain the giggle that had lodged in his throat when Billy had looked at her, utterly confused. Miranda had merely quirked an eyebrow at him before a crimson blush had stained Billy's cheeks, realization of what the cup was for, finally occurring to him.

Erotic thoughts were pushed far from Billy's mind as Dom had closed the door behind them, and Dom had gently caressed his lover, his lips coaxing Billy's gaze away from the small cup he had placed on the bedside table. Embarrassment slowly fading, Dom's hands caressing and touching, he had sank to his knees in front of Billy, lips and fingertips arousing Billy, his hips lifting off the bed, thrusting into Dom's mouth. Feeling Billy's body tightening under his, Dom reached blindly for the cup, collecting the glittering fluid that spurted from his lover as Billy fell back against their mattress. Climbing onto the bed, Dom had snuggled into Billy's side, his throbbing arousal rubbing against Billy's hip.

As he caught his breath, Billy rolled towards Dom, trembling fingers sliding across Dom's bare chest and down his belly, and then his small hand wrapped around Dom's arousal, stroking him slowly. Billy's love and desire had finally overruled any awkwardness he may have felt, and kissing Dom, mouths sliding across each others tenderly, Billy's fingers moved over Dom's arousal. When orgasm burned through Dom's lithe body, both of them grabbed for the cup, barely managing to get it in place in time. Sealing the lid with nervous, trembling fingers, forgotten it lay on the bed behind them as they kissed and caressed each other tenderly. Breath eventually slowing and heart rates easing, Billy's eyes fluttered closed as a smile turned up the corners of Dom's mouth when he realized that his fondest wish had transpired that day. Both of them had played an equal part in their child's conception, and that child had been created in the love that they shared.

Smiling up at Miranda, Dom moved to wrap an arm around Billy's waist, resting his head on Billy's shoulder. These babies were meant to be. Sliding off the bed, Dom had kissed Billy gently and slipped a pair of yoga pants on, a deep blush coloring his cheeks as he had taken the cup down the hall. Knocking on the guest room door, Dom had handed the cup to Peter, Miranda's husband, and upon returning to Billy, they snuggled in bed, knowing exactly what was happening just down the corridor, nervous, yet somehow perversely calm.

As if having her husband impregnate her for someone else was something she did every day, Miranda had emerged from the guest room some time later, putting Billy and Dom completely at ease in what they thought would've been an awkward moment. Three weeks later, she had arrived on their doorstep shortly after sunrise, a wide, beaming smile on her face, and a pregnancy test kit in her hand. Dom grinned as he remembered. He hadn't needed the test, as Dom knew that their first attempt had been successful. The test had been a formality, merely to confirm what they already knew in their hearts. The bottle of non-alcoholic champagne Billy had put in the fridge for the possibility had been opened, and Miranda's health toasted before she had left them alone.

"Pip?" Craig murmured, his voice interrupting Dom's reminiscences as he walked towards them, speaking to his brother. Waving a warm greeting to Miranda, Craig watched as Billy rose, pressing a kiss against Randy's forehead as he did.

"What's up, Craig?" Billy asked and then looked up into his brother's face, realizing why Craig's mood was so sombre. "It's time to go, isn't it?"

"I'm sorry," Craig said regretfully.

"Not your fault," Billy replied.

"Good to see you again, Randy." Craig leaned down to press a gentle kiss against Miranda's forehead. "How goes the baking?" he asked, gesturing at her belly.

"Nearly done," Miranda said with a laugh. "When are you coming home?"

"Soon," Craig answered noncommittally. "Mind if I take Billy away for a little bit?"

"Sure," Miranda answered before starting to push herself up from the chair, and then she instantly had three men helping her to her feet. "I need to go find the little girls room anyway."

"You okay?" Dom asked solicitously.

"I'm fine, and Peter's just over there." Miranda gestured towards her husband. "You three go say goodbye."

Dom watched Miranda slowly walking away, then turned back towards his brother-in-law. Moving closer, Dom folded his arms around Craig, enclosing him in a tight hug, and he smiled as Craig's arms closed around him as well.

"Be safe," Dom murmured against Craig's chest.

"Only if you keep Pip happy," Craig replied with a smile.

"It's a deal," Dom assured him. Stepping back, Dom leaned in to press a gentle kiss to Billy's cheek. "I'm going to get us a drink," he murmured.

Slipping his arm around Dom's waist, Billy pulled him close for a quick hug. "Don't be long," Billy murmured. "I'll miss you."

"Me too," Dom sighed, snuggling into Billy's side, his long fingers smoothing across Billy's tartan covered buttocks briefly.

Billy's eyes followed Dom as he walked towards the house, and Craig smiled, because the naked emotion in Billy' eyes was something he had always wanted to see in his big brother. With everybody but himself and David, Billy had always been polite and impersonal, yet now Billy seemed to have blossomed emotionally. Not for the first time, Craig was sorry he had missed it.

"What are you looking at?" Billy asked.

"Not sure," Craig said with a grin, reverting to the bantering responses they had used in their childhood. "Doesn't have a label."

"Wanker." Billy laughed and pulled Craig into a tight embrace. "Glad you came?"

"Absolutely," Craig replied as he nodded and then released Billy. "I like him." He gestured towards Dom. "I know we've talked on the phone a lot, but actually seeing the two of you together is different. You're like two halves of the one whole. You belong together, any idiot could see that. And I'm glad that I got to be here for such a special day," Craig added before drawing Billy back into a hug.

"I'm sorry we didn't get more time together," Billy apologized.

"Don't stress, Billy. I got to be here, that was the important thing. And I'll be back soon." Craig pulled back and looked at his brother. "Got a question for you."

"Didn't we have the birds and bees talk years ago." Billy teased with a chuckle as they walked towards Cate's rental car.

"Wanker," Craig retorted, laughing briefly. "What do you know about Liv's brother?"

"Sean?" Billy raised an eyebrow in question. "Nice guy, don't know him that well. Why?"

"Just curious," Craig answered, his eyes scanning the wedding guests as they walked.

"See something we like, did we?" Billy asked with a grin.

"Maybe." Craig shrugged indifferently.

"Just be careful, Craig," Billy advised sagely.

"Yes, Dad." Craig reached out to ruffle Billy's hair as they reached the side of Cate's car.

"I'm going to miss you," Billy offered as he opened his arms for one final embrace.

"I know. I'll be back soon, I swear," Craig vowed, squeezing Billy tightly.

"Don't do anything stupid," Billy urged him, his voice muffled against Craig's chest.

A moment later, both men were enfolded in David's strong arms. Slightly out of breath from running, David tightened his hold on his brothers, wanting the three of them to be together as they bid Craig farewell.

"Don't forget to call us," David reminded his baby brother.

"I won't. Look after him?" Craig gestured with a nod of his head to David as he watched Billy.

At Billy's nod, Craig disentangled himself from his brothers and with a final loving glance, slid into the car. Watching the vehicle drive away, David wrapped his arm around Billy's shoulders.

"He'll be back soon."

"I know. I just can't help but worry about him," Billy replied with a heavy sigh.

"Isn't it time that you took your gorgeous man away for the night?" a sultry voice called softly. Turning, David and Billy watched Liv, Dom and Viggo, still carrying Milo and Daisy-May, approach them.

"Are you trying to get rid of us, Liv?" Billy asked, opening his arms to hug her, and then as he released Liv, he extended a hand to Dom.

Taking Daisy-May from Viggo's arms, David snuggled into her playfully, grinning at the giggles that bubbled from her rosebud lips.

"No, but you're only going to have one night to be alone together before you take your daughter on your honeymoon to spend time with your mother-in-law. I thought you might like the privacy," Liv explained with a wink.

Extending his arms to take Daisy-May into his embrace, Billy kissed the little girl wetly on the cheek, passing her to Dom when he stretched his hands out for her.

"She's fine with us." Dom snuggled into Daisy-May's belly, delighting in her gleeful giggles.

"No." David leaned in to lift the little girl from Dom's arms. "We insist. Go shag yourselves senseless or something. Have fun. Be newlyweds. She's fine with us."

Scowling, Liv took Daisy-May from David's arms as she spoke. "Poor little darling will have a vocabulary like a farmhand before she's even making sentences."

Leaning in to kiss Billy and then Dom, Liv blew a raspberry against Daisy-May's cheek, gesturing for her to wave to her daddies. "We're going away for some girl time." Liv smiled, and linking her hand in Viggo's, she turned, and they walked towards the main house. Waving and clapping over Liv's shoulder, Daisy-May mimicked her DomDaddy, and blew kisses at him.

"I think that may be our cue to go home," Dom whispered against Billy's neck.

Saying their goodbyes to their extended family, hand in hand they slowly walked to their home. Holding the door open for Dom, Billy waited until he was inside, then slipped his jacket off his shoulders, hanging it on the coat rack just inside the door. Looking up, he saw Dom watching him.

"What?" he asked.

"I love you," Dom whispered.

"C'mere," Billy murmured, stepping closer to Dom and sliding his arms around Dom's waist under his jacket, nuzzling his face into Dom's chest. "Happy?"

"Are you?" Dom breathed against the top of Billy's head, his long fingered hands stroking Billy's back gently.

Looking up into Dom's face, Billy's eyes glistened wetly. "You don't know how much it meant to me to see Craig, especially today," he murmured as he pressed his lips to Dom's. "Thank you."

"I felt like such a wanker, keeping that secret," Dom confessed. "I almost told you, so many times."

"I'm glad you didn't. The surprise made today even more perfect," Billy whispered, nuzzling against Dom's neck.

Sliding his hands up Dom's lithe body, Billy slid the jacket from Dom's shoulders, letting it drop to the floor. Small, nimble fingers made short work of Dom's tie, sliding the silky fabric from around his neck and flicking open the top button of his shirt.

"Frisky, are we?" Dom quirked an eyebrow at Billy.

"Am I breathing?" Billy laughed, borrowing David's comment from earlier in the day.

"I've got something for you," Dom said with a chuckle, and after kissing Billy gently, he led the way into the living room, waiting for Billy to realize the difference.

Looking up, the first thing Billy saw were the three, new, identical gilt edged frames hanging over the fireplace.

"When did you have time to do this?" Billy breathed, walking closer to the mantelpiece to get a better look.

Looking past the myriad of framed photos of their family on the mantelpiece, one by one, Billy looked at the new additions to the wall. Billy knew Dom's artistic handiwork when he saw it, but what amazed him was the depth and detail of the drawings. The one in the center was of their family, and Billy remembered the day a similar photo had been taken. Daisy-May had sat in front of Billy on a horse, Dom standing beside them, his arms extended to the smiling cherub.

In the drawing on the left, David leaned against a fence rail, his profile turned towards the horizon, obviously thinking happy thoughts as a rare, relaxed grin curved his lips. In the drawing on the right, Craig sat on the bottom step of a flight of stairs, obviously in military uniform, a shy smile tugging up the corners of his mouth as he gazed at something unseen by anyone else. Billy remembered the photo the drawing had been copied from. It had been taken after Craig's first mission, and David had taken his photo for posterity while Craig had been embarrassed, and pleaded with Billy to stop David.

"While I was out at Arwen Canyon with the last couple of classes of grads," Dom replied, sliding his arms around Billy's waist. "I'm sorry about the drawing of Craig. I only had photos as reference."

"Don't be sorry, it's perfect. They all are." Billy turned in Dom's arms as he spoke. "I have something for you."

"I told you I didn't want anything," Dom admonished.

"Aye." Billy looked pointedly at the drawings. "So did I." Walking into their workroom, Billy lifted a large gift box from his desk drawer, and brought it back to Dom. Dom looked from the box to Billy, and taking a deep breath, he lifted the lid. As he scanned the contents of the box, tears welled in Dom's eyes. The deeds for Arwen Canyon, now bearing his name, sat framed in the box.

"I can't accept this, Billy." Dom looked up into Billy's face as the tears escaped from his eyes, and rolled down his cheeks.

Taking the box from Dom's hand and setting it down on the sofa, Billy folded Dom into his arms and held him close, one hand stroking Dom's back.

"Why not, Dom? I want you to have it. Arwen Canyon brought you to me, it should be yours," Billy explained.

"That's the very reason why it should be ours. Not mine. Ours," Dom whispered, his lips finding Billy's neck.

"I wanted you to have it, Dom. The Anasazi are in your blood, Honey. It's only right."

"Can I suggest something?" Dom asked softly.

"Anything," Billy murmured, his fingers carding through Dom's silky hair.

"Put your name back on there, and it will be even more perfect," Dom breathed against Billy's lips, kissing him gently.

"Would that make you happy?" Billy asked.

Dom nodded before pressing his lips against Billy's for a long, lingering kiss. "I have something else for you," Dom stated when they finally parted.

"We left here together, Honey," Billy said, looking at the drawings again. "How did you get them hung?"

"Your brothers were quite keen to help out." Dom pulled Billy by the hand into their bedroom as he spoke.

Upon entering the room, Dom stepped to the side to reveal his surprise. The drapes had been drawn and the room dimmed, only to be lit by dozens of tea light candles as the gentle scent of Dom's favorite essential oils filled the air. A smile curled Billy's lips as he imagined his brothers creating this setting to Dom's instructions. Their soft, feather- filled comforter was covered with the tiny wildflowers that grew in abundance around the old ranch house.

Finally, Billy's eyes moved to the new artwork that hung on the wall above the bed, where two framed pictures hung. The first one was very familiar to Billy, the picture that Sean had brought to him after his visit with Dom in Boulder. It was the drawing that had precipitated their reunion, dark and solemn. The picture was the perfect reflection of his life before Dom had let the sunshine back into Billy's wounded soul.

The new picture stole his breath, and Billy recognized the setting immediately. He even knew when Dom had found the inspiration. It had been their last visit to Arwen Canyon before they had full-time custody of Daisy-May, and Billy had been bathing in their rock pool. Dom's painting had captured the moment that Billy, standing naked in the warm water, had heard Dom's approach and turned, extending a hand, inviting his lover to join him.

Billy recognized the difference in himself between the pictures, as he had changed the moment he met Dom, even though he hadn't really realized it until this moment. The life Billy had considered fulfilling eighteen months ago had actually been dark, as he watched life pass him by. But Dom had opened his eyes and his heart, and now Billy knew what it was to embrace life the same way Dom did. Turning, eyes glistening with the realization of the fulfilled life he had never even allowed himself to dream of, that it was really his, Billy opened his arms to his lover.

"C'mere, Honey." Billy's voice was gruff and filled with choking emotion as he spoke.

Stepping into Billy's open arms and cuddling him closely, Dom nervously murmured, "So you like it?"

"Of course I like it. I love it," Billy whispered as he clasped Dom's face in his hands and kissed him gently. "I've never thanked you, Honey, have I?"

"For what?" Dom asked, leaning back to look into Billy's eyes, thumbs catching the tears that had begun to trickle down Billy's cheeks.

"For giving me the life I'd never dared to even dream of," Billy murmured, small hands stroking Dom's back slowly. "I love you."

"That's what love is, Bills," Dom breathed against Billy's lips. "We make each other whole."

"Two broken halves to make the perfect whole," Billy agrees with a joyful smile. "The cowboy and the archaeologist."

[The Sequel: Western Lovers: Cowboys and Biologists](http://community.livejournal.com/ordaisy/353.html)

  



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